4.7 Article

Exploring perceptions of environmental professionals, plastic processors, students and consumers of bio-based plastics: Informing the development of the sector

期刊

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
卷 26, 期 -, 页码 574-587

出版社

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2020.12.015

关键词

Bio-based plastics; Focus group discussions; Bioeconomy; Stakeholders' perceptions; Greenwashing; Transition

资金

  1. EPSRC under UK Research and Innovation through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund [EP/S025545/1]
  2. ESRC Internal Business Boost Funding
  3. EPSRC [EP/S025545/1] Funding Source: UKRI

向作者/读者索取更多资源

Bio-based plastics are produced from bio-based raw materials such as sugar cane, potatoes, and corn. The perceptions and opinions of stakeholders, including environmental professionals, plastic processors, university students, and consumers, play a significant role in influencing the evolution of the bio-based plastics market. Understanding stakeholder views is crucial for informing the development of this sector.
Bio-based plastics are produced from bio-based raw materials such as sugar cane, potatoes, corn, and agricultural and slaughterhouse waste. The evolution of the bio-based plastics market is affected by the stakeholders involved owing to their role in production processes, environmental guidelines and purchasing decisions. It is therefore imperative to understand the perceptions of stakeholders in order to inform the development of the bio-based plastics sector. This novel exploratory study investigates the perceptions and opinions of three stakeholder groups: environmental professionals and plastic processors; university students; and consumers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the focus groups (25 participants in total), samples of bio-based plastics, including starch-based monolayer and multilayer, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), were presented. A qualitative analysis using the framework method revealed that environmental professionals and plastic processors were aware of both the benefits of bio-based plastics, such as a reduction in use of fossil fuels; and the challenges, which include the utilisation of agricultural land for biomass substrates and possible contamination of current conventional plastic recycling streams. Although there was a general lack of knowledge among students and consumers about bio-based plastics, they conveyed their beliefs that the use of agricultural waste will lead to closed-loop systems, resulting in a balanced approach to production and waste management. Some students and consumers, raised concerns about contamination of food by bio-based packaging prepared from slaughterhouse waste. However, these participants supported the use of slaughterhouse waste in the production of bio-based plastics for non-food contact items. The students and consumers and some of the environmental professionals and plastic processors were reluctant to pay more for bio-based plastics. The results indicate that manufacturers of bio-based plastics could benefit from informing consumers about the environmental impacts of beginning-of-life parameters, such as production processes and feedstocks, by using life cycle assessment parameters. This should be incorporated into information provided on labelling using standards from neutral organisations. This research could inform future communication strategies around bio-based plastics with both the public and industry. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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