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Brand-Level Accountability for Indonesia's Plastic Crisis: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Civil-Society Audits, Producer Roadmaps, and Upcycling Enterprise Geography
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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.
This deposit contains the complete data and code package for a spatial econometric analysis of brand-attributed plastic pollution in Indonesia: a 152 regency-year panel covering 38 regencies in Bali and East Java from 2021 to 2024, built from harmonised Sungai Watch brand-audit records mapped from brand to corporate parent across river barriers, a geocoded inventory of verified upcycling MSMEs, KLHK extended-producer-responsibility roadmap registrations, and BPS, BMKG and SIPSN administrative series.
More Papers Like This
Brand-Level Accountability for Indonesia's Plastic Crisis: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Civil-Society Audits, Producer Roadmaps, and Upcycling Enterprise Geography
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tracked plastic waste pulled from rivers in Bali and East Java, matching trash brands to the companies that made them, and compared this to local recycling programs and corporate pollution-reduction pledges. This kind of brand-level tracking matters because plastic waste that ends up in rivers and oceans breaks down into microplastics, which have been found in human blood, lungs, and even placentas, so knowing which companies' products are polluting waterways helps hold them accountable and could push for better packaging and waste-management practices that reduce our exposure to these particles.
Mapping Mismanaged Plastic Waste in Indonesia: Subdistrict-level Analysis through Material Flow from Sources to the Environment
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Researchers conducted sub-district-level material flow analysis across Indonesia to map where plastic waste is mismanaged most severely, moving beyond national aggregates to pinpoint local hotspots where leakage into the environment is highest and targeted intervention would have the greatest impact.
Mapping mismanaged plastic waste in Indonesia: subdistrict-level analysis through material flow from sources to the environment
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Researchers found that Indonesia produces over 9 million tons of plastic waste each year, with more than 1 million tons ending up directly in rivers, drains, and illegally dumped on land. This mismanaged plastic waste breaks down into tiny particles called microplastics that can contaminate drinking water and food sources, potentially affecting human health. The study helps identify pollution hotspots where better waste management could reduce plastic entering the environment and our bodies.
Brand audit attribution of plastic litter in the African Great Lakes: dominance of national manufacturers and implications for extended producer responsibility
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Researchers analyzed nearly 10,000 pieces of plastic trash found along Africa's Great Lakes shorelines and found that just three Tanzanian companies were responsible for over half of it, with local (not international) brands making up the vast majority. This matters because it shows that plastic pollution—which breaks down into microplastics that can contaminate drinking water, fish, and eventually our bodies—could be significantly reduced if a small number of local manufacturers were required to fund cleanup and recycling programs, rather than leaving communities to deal with the waste on their own.
Global producer responsibility for plastic pollution
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This study used data from 1,576 audit events across 84 countries from 2018–2022 to identify brands on plastic items found polluting the environment, finding Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone, and Altria as the top five brands globally accounting for 24% of branded count. A log-log linear relationship between production volume and branded plastic pollution was identified, with food and beverage companies disproportionately large polluters.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.