The EU countries and other states around the world are introducing single-use plastic product- SUPs (plastic plates, cutlery, sticks, and polystyrene cups and containers ) bans to alleviate pollution. However, the success of any policy aimed at restricting the use of plastic products in one country should not be taken for granted. It seems that without supporting measures, or by failing to treat the ban as the beginning of a broader phase-down of plastic, banning some items does little to change the attitudes that reinforce a throwaway culture. This became evident in the latest research by the Global Plastics Policy Centre of the University of Portsmouth that reviewed 100 policies aimed at tackling plastic pollution worldwide in 2022, to understand what makes them successful. In the respective article three key lessons that can make a policy ban more effective are presented.
Access the article here by A. March, St.Fletcher, T. Evans
(C) The Conversation, 13 January 2023