From the spread of microplastics to taking action through participation in politics and management : Stakeholders perspectives on the preconditions for implementing environmental policies with the aim to reduce the spread of microplastics from facilities containing molded rubber granules

The consequences of microplastics spreading from surfaces made from molded rubber granules has a negative impact on our ecosystems, plants, and other living organisms. As our understanding of these negative environmental impacts grows, the need to shape and enforce effective measures to reduce this spread also increases. This creates a challenge for the political environmental management on both a national and municipal level. This study investigates the condition of Swedish municipalities and the possibilities they have to take effective measures to reduce the spread of microplastics in facilities that use molded rubber granules, in a time when both knowledge and experience of molded rubber granules is still limited. The study also examines whether the municipality’s participation during the forming of new environmental policies impacts the final outcome. The theory is based on implementation and participitation in management and politics. The results are based on interviews with representatives from nine Swedish municipalities, all geographically spread out and of varying size. Even if the accountable party at the municipalities admitted that their surfaces made from molded rubber granules spread microplastics, they lacked knowledge on the spread’s environmental impact. Both lack of sufficient resources and possibility to take effective action due to politically conflicting goals, confirmed several of the challenges connected to participation and implementation within politics. The study finds that the lack of knowledge on the environmental impact of molded rubber granules, the municipalities’ limited resources and the conflicting goals between the requirements of accessibility and environmental requirements affect the municipalities’ possibilities to implement measures through an environmental policy. Through an increased cooperation between state and municipalities during the forming and implementation of environmental policies the goal fulfillments would likely improve.