Unpacking the complexity of the UK plastic packaging value chain: A stakeholder perspective

Gerassimidou, Spyridoula; Lovat, Elena; Ebner, Norman; You, Weimu; Giakoumis, Theodoros; Martin, Olwenn; Iacovidou, Eleni

doi:10.1016/j.spc.2021.11.005

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The increasing demand for BPA by several end‐users is mainly driven by the automotive industry (e.g., manufacture of automobile headlights, bumpers, and dashboards) and manufacture of machinery and electronic components (Research and Markets, 2021b). The main reason BPA is still widely used is due to the misalignment between policies, technological innovation, and economic interests of the BPA and plastics production industries (Mandel et al, 2020), and scientific evidence on the implications of BPA, mainly controlled by the interests of powerful stakeholders (i.e., BPA producers and brand owners of plastic MCPs) (Gerassimidou et al, 2021).…”

Section: Properties Occurrence and Regulations Regarding The Use Of Bpamentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the occurrence, fate, and human risks of the bisphenol‐A present in plastic materials, components, and products

Hahladakis

Iacovidou

Gerassimidou

2022

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

Self Cite

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With over 95% of bisphenol-A (BPA) used in the production of polycarbonate (PC) and epoxy resins, termed here as BPAbased plastic materials, components, and products (MCPs), an investigation of human exposure to BPA over the whole lifecycle of BPA-based plastic MCPs is necessary. This mini-review unpacks the implications arising from the long-term human exposure to BPA and its potential accumulation across the lifecycle of BPA-based plastics (production, use, and management). This investigation is timely and necessary in promoting a sustainable circular economy model. Restrictions of BPA in the form of bans and safety standards are often specific to products, while safety limits rely on traditional toxicological and biomonitoring methods that may underestimate human health implications and therefore the "safety" of BPA exposure. Controversies in regards to the: (a) dose-response curves; (b) the complexity of sources, release mechanisms, and pathways of exposure; and/or (c) the quality and reliability of toxicological studies, appear to currently stifle progress toward the regulation of BPA-based plastic MCPs. Due to the abundance of BPA in our MCPs production, consumption, and management systems, there is partial and inadequate evidence on the contribution of BPA-based plastic MCPs to human exposure to BPA. Yet, the production, use, and end-of-life management of plastic MCPs constitute the most critical BPA source and potential exposure pathways that require further investigation. Active collaboration among risk assessors, government, policy-makers, and researchers is needed to explore the impacts of BPA in the long term and introduce restrictions to BPA-based MCPs.

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Section: Properties Occurrence and Regulations Regarding The Use Of Bpamentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the occurrence, fate, and human risks of the bisphenol‐A present in plastic materials, components, and products

Hahladakis

Iacovidou

Gerassimidou

2022

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

Self Cite

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“…Product design and recycling systems (including the collection, sorting and reprocessing of materials) is a crucial point where government and industry can work hand-in-hand to provide products to consumers that make recycling easier and advance plastic pollution reductions. Success will require collaboration across the whole lifecycle of plastic packaging production, and to date, the pace to achieving a sustainable circular plastics economy has been slow (Gerassimidou et al, 2022). Advances in plastic-alternative materials will facilitate the phase-out of problematic and hard to recycle single-use plastics, such as expanded polystyrene used for packaging fill and consumer food and beverage containers; and microbeads used in cosmetic, cleaning, and personal care products.…”

Section: Harnessing Innovations and Technology Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An imperative to focus the plastic pollution problem on place-based solutions

2022

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There is an increased focus on plastic pollution and the resultant harms in our oceans and on our shores at local, regional, and global scales. New technologies are being developed and trialed, multilateral agreements are coming into play, and the role of a circular economy is increasingly touted as the key to help solve the plastic pollution crisis. Simultaneously, we are witnessing the disruption of global supply chains from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased fuel prices and increased scope and scale of natural disasters. Individual countries are setting national targets and are developing national plans of action to combat plastic pollution. In this paper, we focus on Australia's National Plastics Plan as a case study of a national approach to addressing this transboundary issue. We discuss the Plan in relation to supply chains, the role of standards and best practices, and principles for a successful circular plastic economy. We explicitly consider the role of reverse logistics and regional approaches that could be developed and implemented within island nations. Overall, we argue for culturally appropriate, economically and environmentally place-based solutions as a necessary approach to help reduce plastic losses to the environment, acknowledging that plastics leakage to the environment is a social equity issue.

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“…Responsible sourcing of biomaterials may be achieved by a bioplastic feedstock alliance (BFA, 2022). However, discussions and decisions related to land use need regional and local considerations, thus participation and inclusion of local stakeholders play an important role (Umuhoza et al, 2019;Gerassimidou et al, 2022). Furthermore, considering large-scale monoculture agricultural practices to produce biomaterials, studies should be done to prevent drainage of soil health and to understand the eutrophication impacts of these practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sustainability debate on plastics: Cradle to grave Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economical Analysis of PP and PLA polymers with a “Polluter Pays Principle” perspective

2022

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We have studied the impacts of polypropylene (PP) and poly lactic acid (PLA) to quantify the di erences between fossil-based and first generation biosourced plastics. Preliminary results on impact assessment from manufacturing stages suggested that the smaller the lot size and part weight of each injection molded plastic material, the higher the economic and environmental impacts. When lot size and part weight were equal, PLA performed better than PP. In three regional development scenarios, we have studied the impacts of endof-life (EOL) options for smaller-sized and potentially landfilled single-use food packaging materials in town (population < k), city (population -k), and province (population > M) regional scales. The impacts of the change from PP to PLA as well as landfill (L) and open incineration (OI) to other EOL options, such as recycling (R), composting (CP), and incineration with energy recovery (IwE), were studied. Impacts of toxic damages are calculated as their impact on the healthcare sector. Thus, microplastics (MP) as a vector of bioaccumulation of toxins, such as dioxins, resulted in , $/kg MP on a province scale. In the Province scenario, where L PP ( %), a mix of R and OI PP was changed to a mix of R and CP PLA resulting in % economic gain and % lower global warming potential (GWP). In the City scenario, where L PP was changed to a mix of R PP ( %), IwE PP ( %), and IwE PLA ( %) resulting in % economic gain and % lower GWP. However, the higher the waste management activities such as sorting and waste processing, the higher the high-carcinogens (+ %), high non-carcinogens (+ %), and toxic release for total air (+ %) emissions. Future work should be done to study the impacts of other toxic compounds such as food contact chemicals to compare di erent food packaging materials to obtain more comprehensive results.

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Unpacking the complexity of the UK plastic packaging value chain: A stakeholder perspective

Cited by 24 publications

References 60 publications

An overview of the occurrence, fate, and human risks of the bisphenol‐A present in plastic materials, components, and products

An overview of the occurrence, fate, and human risks of the bisphenol‐A present in plastic materials, components, and products

An imperative to focus the plastic pollution problem on place-based solutions

The sustainability debate on plastics: Cradle to grave Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economical Analysis of PP and PLA polymers with a “Polluter Pays Principle” perspective

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