Brand-Level Accountability for Indonesia's Plastic Crisis: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Civil-Society Audits, Producer Roadmaps, and Upcycling Enterprise Geography

Summary

Researchers tracked which brands' plastic packaging shows up most in Indonesian rivers across dozens of regions in Bali and East Java, then compared this to where companies actually have cleanup programs and recycling businesses in place. The findings matter because plastic waste that isn't managed properly breaks down into microplastics that can contaminate water, food, and eventually our bodies, so knowing which companies' products are polluting the most (and whether their promises match reality) helps hold them accountable for reducing that risk.