We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
‘Solutions’ versus sustainability
Summary
This chapter examines societal, financial, and geographic barriers to sustainable plastic behavior change, analyzing the tension between technological waste management solutions and the behavioral shifts needed to reduce microplastic pollution at source.
There is tension between our current approaches to the management of plastics: the technological approaches to waste management and circularity, which seek to mitigate our consumption of natural resources, and the changes in behaviour that might reduce demand for such interventions. However, behavioural changes are frequently dependent on changes in infrastructure and services. This chapter will review our understanding of the societal, financial and geographic barriers to the adoption of sustainable behaviours relating to plastic and plastic management, as well as the impacts associated with the current toolkit of plastic and microplastic solutions, highlighting potential interactions with other environmental issues, such as water use, land use and CO2 production.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
On the way to reduce marine microplastics pollution. Research landscape of psychosocial drivers
A review of psychosocial drivers of marine plastic pollution found that factors including consumer convenience preferences, low perceived personal responsibility, and weak norm activation explain why behavioral change around plastic use is slow, and that interventions combining social norms messaging with structural changes show the most promise.
From Awareness to Action: A Critical Review of Public Knowledge and Behavioral Gaps in Addressing Plastic Pollution
This review examined why public awareness of plastic pollution has not translated into meaningful behavioral change. The study found that most people focus on visible plastic waste like bottles and bags but have limited understanding of sources like microplastics from clothing and tires, with key barriers to action including convenience, cost, social norms, and distrust in recycling systems.
How plastic is our plastic culture? Reducing our consumption of single-use plastics
This paper examines the cultural and economic forces that have made single-use plastics so embedded in modern life, making them difficult to reduce despite known environmental harms. Understanding the social dimensions of plastic consumption — not just technical solutions — is essential for effectively reducing the microplastic pollution they ultimately generate.
Attitudes towards Plastic Pollution: A Review and Mitigations beyond Circular Economy
This review examined attitudes of consumers, industries, and governments toward plastic pollution, identifying behavioral barriers and synthesizing mitigation strategies that go beyond circular economy frameworks to address systemic plastic over-consumption.
From Awareness to Action: A Critical Review of Public Knowledge and Behavioral Gaps in Addressing Plastic Pollution
This review examined why public awareness of plastic pollution has not translated into meaningful behavior change. Researchers found that most people focus on visible plastic items like bottles and bags but have limited knowledge about microplastics from clothing or tires. Key barriers to action include convenience, cost, social norms, and distrust in recycling systems, suggesting that education alone is insufficient without strategies targeting specific behavioral changes.