Experts call on industry to alter consumer behavior toward single-use plastics

14 Nov 2022 --- New research suggests that behavioral interventions such as nudges, norm messages, education and moral appeals could reduce consumer demand for single-use plastic. At the same time, industry-wide solutions and governmental policies should be developed and expanded, according to the study authors.  

Published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the authors say they discovered that “solving the plastic waste problem requires pre- and post-consumption actions.” 

The writers suggest changing the default behavior in a situation (nudges); drawing attention to social cues (norm education); providing information at the point of decision (education) and highlighting the moral implications of single-use plastic consumption (moral appeals). 

“We wrote the article in response to rising accumulations of single-use plastic waste to draw attention to behavioral approaches that can be part of the solution to minimizing the waste problem,” Heather Barnes Truelove, associate professor of applied psychology at the University of Florida and lead author of the article, tells PackagingInsights. 

“We propose recommendations on behavioral interventions that can be implemented to reduce single-use plastic consumption while broader governmental policies and industry practices to reduce waste are implemented.”

University professors give insight into how to impact consumers' plastic use habits. A consumer responsibility
The authors’ goal is to reduce the demand for plastic. They note “outright bans on single-use plastics (as implemented at the national and multi-national level, including the UN resolution to create a binding agreement by 2024 to end plastic pollution) and economic instruments such as fees, taxes and incentives,” as ways governments attempt to limit plastic use.

However, the writers believe that more than legislation is needed to battle plastic waste and that applications to alter consumer behaviors should be more widely applied. 

“One big takeaway is that consumers can’t be expected to be able to parse which actions (or products) are the most sustainable,” Kaitlin T. Raimi, associate professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and co-writer of the report, tells PackagingInsights. 

“The more that can be done upstream of consumer behavior to eliminate plastic waste, the better. Many consumers don’t have the existing knowledge or bandwidth to learn about best practices for themselves and may have strong habits for more wasteful types of packaging.”

Behavior changes
Tactics relying on voluntary behavior change were also noted as effective strategies. Behavior change approaches target internal motivation for action and increases plastic consumption’s salience. 

According to the report, behavior change can be leveraged through relatively straightforward interventions – particularly to address plastic bags, bottles, wrapping, food contain­ers and cutlery – which contribute over 40% of plastic litter in aquatic environments. 

The writers state that individ­uals are more likely to adopt behaviors that they believe benefit the environment, even if those beliefs are inaccurate. Providing clearer and more universal information could reduce plastic waste according to article authors. 

A central suggestion of the article is that governments need to create interventions to inform and educate consumers because, according to them, the benefits of environmentally sustainable practices are less clear when substitutes are needed. 

Consumers do not understand the point or benefits of replacing one single-use plastic item with another single-use non-plastic item, even if they are different materials. 

It is recommended that the public be informed about the life cycle impacts of plastics while offering clear and actionable recommendations. This includes revealing the most valuable replacement items, best practices for disposing of various items and the trade-offs inherent in behaviors to avoid plastics – such as the impacts of food waste versus using plastic take-out containers. 

Label changes
The authors also stress the importance of labels. For example, eco-labels that note a product is produced without excess packaging increase its purchase capabilities. 

When possible, gov­ernments and organizations should tailor information to local contexts, including what materials can be recy­cled locally and available alternatives. 

Labels do not only target knowledge but can inform consumers while providing them with motivation and obstacle removal in recycling. The writers indicate to achieve maximum impact, separate campaigns must promote behaviors to help the public push for corporate responsibility and government regulation.

“The main implication for the [packaging] industry is that while behavioral policies can help reduce demand, they will not be enough on their own to deal with the plastic pollution problem,” says Truelove. 

“Industry must take parallel actions to reduce single-use plastic by providing more environmentally friendly packaging materials to consumers and moving toward a circular plastic economy where plastic wastes are incorporated into new products,” she concludes.  

By Sabine Waldeck