Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Pro-Environmental Behaviour of Two Norway's Mainstream Mass Media

Researchers analyzed how two mainstream Norwegian mass media outlets address plastic waste issues in the Nordic region, examining their pro-environmental framing, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the constraints they face in driving government, NGO, and public action on plastic waste management.

2024 Journal of Strategic and Global Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

What influences public support for plastic waste control policies and green consumption? Evidence from a multilevel analysis of survey data from 27 European countries

This multi-country survey across 27 European nations found that media use and country-level factors shape citizens' support for plastic waste policy and green consumption. People who consumed environmental news from diverse media sources were more likely to support plastic reduction policies and adopt green behaviors. The findings have implications for designing effective public communication strategies about plastic pollution.

2023 Online Media and Global Communication 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Media coverage, attention cycles and the governance of plastics pollution

This study analyzes how media coverage and public attention cycles affect governance responses to plastics pollution. Researchers found that heightened media attention has increased public engagement with plastics issues, but the coherence and durability of public pressure remains questionable. The study suggests that policymakers can leverage attention peaks to initiate longer-term reforms, and that reframing plastics as an economic and health issue may help sustain public concern.

2022 Environmental Policy and Governance 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Media Issue Crystallization: The Case of Microplastic in Denmark

This study examined how Danish news media constructed and framed microplastic pollution as an emerging environmental issue, analyzing the process by which a complex scientific problem becomes a public concern. Media framing of microplastics influences public awareness and political action on plastic pollution.

2021 Environmental Communication 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Public Perceptions of Marine Plastic Litter: A Comparative Study Across European Countries and Seas

This study surveyed public perceptions of marine plastic litter across eight European countries bordering the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean, finding high awareness of the problem but identifying barriers to behavioral change that vary by country and sea region.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Public knowledge of microplastics for pro-environmental behavior

Researchers analyzed public knowledge of microplastics and its relationship to pro-environmental behavior, finding that because microplastics are invisible to the naked eye, public perception depends entirely on external information sources rather than direct experience, with implications for environmental communication strategies.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Pro-environmental communication activities of paper and plastic packaging producers. Evidence from Poland

This study analyzed environmental communication in annual reports of Polish packaging producers, examining how transparently they report on circular economy and sustainability efforts. Better corporate transparency about plastic packaging impacts is important for policy accountability and reducing the plastic waste that becomes microplastic pollution.

2023 Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series
Article Tier 2

Sea of plastic: representations of the sea and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding marine plastic pollution in Peru and Chile

Researchers explored pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding marine plastic pollution through 44 semi-structured interviews with Peruvian and Chilean citizens, examining how sea-related representations shape environmental engagement. The study found that positive connections to the sea were associated with stronger motivation to reduce plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Psychology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Public perception of microplastics pollution in Switzerland: Psychological distance, concern, and willingness to engage in mitigation activities

Researchers surveyed over 900 people in Switzerland to understand how the public perceives microplastic pollution and their willingness to take action. The study found that people perceive microplastics as a relatively close threat on most psychological dimensions, and that concern about the issue, particularly concern for nature, is a stronger predictor of willingness to engage in mitigation activities than psychological distance alone.

2026
Article Tier 2

Telling stories about (micro)plastic pollution: Media images, public perceptions and social change

This paper examines how microplastic pollution has been framed in media reporting and how the public understands the issue, finding that culturally embedded ideas about risk and health shape people's responses. Understanding media framing and public perception is important for designing effective communication strategies around microplastic contamination.

2018
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Differences and InfluencingFactors of Public Participation in EnvironmentalProtection Behavior in the Private and PublicSpheres in China

Not relevant to microplastics — this sociological study analyzes factors influencing Chinese citizens' environmental protection behaviors in public and private spheres, using 2013 national survey data.

2023 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic pollution in the Nordic marine environment – knowledge gaps and suggested approaches

Researchers identified the most critical knowledge gaps in Nordic microplastic research — including how plastics move through ocean food webs and where they ultimately sink — and proposed coordinated strategies for Nordic countries to tackle these questions together, given the global ecological importance of Arctic and Baltic seas.

2022 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Why is there plastic packaging in the natural environment? Understanding the roots of our individual plastic waste management behaviours

This review explores why individuals mismanage plastic packaging waste, finding that the disconnect between discarding behavior and its visible consequences is a key factor, as is the deep historical rootedness of waste disposal habits in different cultures. The authors argue that policies to reduce plastic littering face fundamental behavioral constraints that require approaches beyond simple regulation.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 170 citations
Article Tier 2

Knowledge, concerns and attitudes towards plastic pollution: An empirical study of public perceptions in Portugal

A survey of public knowledge, concerns, and attitudes toward plastic pollution found that awareness varied significantly across demographic groups, and that concern about plastic in different environmental compartments (air, water, soil) did not always translate into pro-recycling behaviors.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of media narratives on microplastics risk perception

Researchers examined how media narratives about microplastic pollution influence public risk perception. The study argues that accurate and balanced reporting is essential to prevent misinformation and ensure people clearly understand the risks associated with microplastics. The findings suggest that understanding public perceptions can help design better interventions to reduce plastic consumption and its associated health and environmental impacts.

2023 PeerJ 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Review: Global perceptions of plastic pollution: The contours and limits of debate — R0/PR3

A review of 39 studies on public perceptions of plastic pollution found that research has clustered around marine ecosystems, single-use plastics, and recycling barriers, while underexploring systemic production reduction and connections to climate change or broader biodiversity loss. The paper emphasizes that terminology choices — 'marine debris' vs. 'microplastics' vs. 'plastic pollution' — frame public understanding differently and should inform policy communications.

2023
Article Tier 2

Review: Global perceptions of plastic pollution: The contours and limits of debate — R0/PR2

This review analyzes 39 peer-reviewed studies on public perceptions of plastic pollution, finding that debate is largely focused on marine environments and single-use plastics. The review notes gaps in public awareness of microplastics' health effects and calls for better communication to inform policy negotiations.

2023
Article Tier 2

Exploring companies' relationships with environmental indicators from the European sustainability reporting standards (ESRS) – The case of Norway

Researchers surveyed Norwegian companies on their readiness to report environmental indicators under new EU sustainability rules, finding that climate metrics were most commonly tracked while microplastic and secondary resource indicators were among the hardest to measure — revealing a significant gap in corporate capacity to account for plastic pollution.

2025 Current Research in Environmental Sustainability
Systematic Review Tier 1

Exploring Scientific Discourse on Marine Litter in Europe: Review of Sources, Causes and Solutions

This systematic review examines the scientific discussion around marine plastic litter in Europe, focusing on its sources, causes, and potential solutions. It identifies four main narratives in the research and calls for more interdisciplinary work to ensure solutions are sustainable and avoid greenwashing. The review highlights that addressing ocean plastic pollution requires understanding both the science and the social factors driving it.

2022 Sustainability 4 citations