scholarly journals Nudging in Supermarkets to Reduce Plastic Bag Consumption Among Customers: A Framework for Change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Lim
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Food Needs

Despite good intentions, the increasing number of plastic bag bans aimed at alleviating marine plastic pollution saw a correlated increase in the number of unintended consequences that emerged alongside the bans, suggesting that human behavior towards plastic bag consumption have not changed, but merely shifted, and are feeding into other major international environmental catastrophes. Nudge theory, which helps people make better choices for themselves without inhibiting their free will, is a potential solution that has been shown to play a subtle but important role in providing options under circumstances where complex information needs to be streamlined for the wider community, avoiding any unintended consequences and behavioural shifts that might arise from instruments that diminishes autonomy. It is therefore timely to look into the insights of nudge theory to encourage a positive behavioural change to reduce plastic bag consumption. Here we apply a systematic literature review to show how successful applications of nudges in supermarkets can be leveraged to reduce plastic bag consumption. We find that the current applications of nudges in various industries worldwide, including supermarkets have produced positive and encouraging results, as well as producing lasting behavioural change among the wider community. Supermarkets are identified as a powerful deployment site of these nudges due to their positioning as a dominant provider of plastic bags to the wider community, as well as being the largest and leading provider of daily food needs. Finally, we synthesise our findings to produce a coherent and testable framework of actionable interventions that supermarkets can employ to nudge customers towards reduced plastic bag reliance, accompanied with a visual timeline of a customer shopping in a supermarket experiencing these nudges.

scholarly journals Nudging in Supermarkets to Reduce Plastic Bag Consumption among Customers: A Framework for Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Ian Lim
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Food Needs

Despite good intentions, the increasing number of plastic bag bans aimed at alleviating marine plastic pollution saw a correlated increase in the number of unintended consequences that emerged alongside the bans, suggesting that human behavior towards plastic bag consumption have not changed, but merely shifted, and are feeding into other major international environmental catastrophes. Nudge theory, which helps people make better choices for themselves without inhibiting their free will, is a potential solution that has been shown to play a subtle but important role in providing options under circumstances where complex information needs to be streamlined for the wider community, avoiding any unintended consequences and behavioural shifts that might arise from instruments that diminishes autonomy. It is therefore timely to look into the insights of nudge theory to encourage a positive behavioural change to reduce plastic bag consumption. Here we apply a systematic literature review to show how successful applications of nudges in supermarkets can be leveraged to reduce plastic bag consumption. We find that the current applications of nudges in various industries worldwide, including supermarkets have produced positive and encouraging results, as well as producing lasting behavioural change among the wider community. Supermarkets are identified as a powerful deployment site of these nudges due to their positioning as a dominant provider of plastic bags to the wider community, as well as being the largest and leading provider of daily food needs. Finally, we synthesise our findings to produce a coherent and testable framework of actionable interventions that supermarkets can employ to nudge customers towards reduced plastic bag reliance, accompanied with a visual timeline of a customer shopping in a supermarket experiencing these nudges.

scholarly journals Nudging in Supermarkets to Reduce Plastic Bag Consumption Among Customers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Lim
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
General Behaviour ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Food Needs

Plastic bag bans aimed at alleviating marine plastic pollution have resulted in dire, unintended consequences, indicating a shift in general behaviour, that further feeds into major international environmental catastrophes. However, nudge theory is a potential solution that has been shown to play a subtle but important role in providing options under circumstances where complex information needs to be streamlined for the wider community. It is therefore timely to look into the insights of nudge theory to encourage a positive behavioural change to reduce plastic bag consumption. Here we apply a systematic literature review to show how successful applications of nudges in supermarkets can be leveraged to reduce plastic bag consumption. We find that the current applications of nudges in various industries worldwide, including supermarkets have produced positive and encouraging results, as well as producing lasting behavioural change among the wider community. Supermarkets are identified as a powerful deployment site of these nudges due to their positioning as a dominant provider of plastic bags to the wider community, as well as being the largest and leading provider of daily food needs. Finally, we synthesise our findings to produce a coherent and testable framework of actionable interventions that supermarkets can employ to nudge customers towards reduced plastic bag reliance, accompanied with a visualised timeline of a customer shopping in a supermarket experiencing these nudges.

scholarly journals Considerations, benefits and unintended consequences of banning plastic shopping bags for environmental sustainability: A systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110039
Author(s):  
Asphat Muposhi ◽  
Mercy Mpinganjira ◽  
Marius Wait
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Foamed Plastics

Although the ban on plastic bags is gaining in prominence as a policy option to manage plastic bag litter, there are mixed views on its rationale and effectiveness. This study employs a systematic literature review to understand considerations, benefits and unintended consequences of banning plastic bags. The review’s results pointed to the limited success of a plastic bag ban owing to lack of suitable alternatives, limited state capacity to monitor and enforce the ban, thriving black market, structural and instrumental power of the plastic industry. The power of the industry was manifested by the covert practice of deflecting accountability to consumers by focusing on business-oriented solutions, including an inclination towards self-regulation. The findings of this study underscored the need for a global treaty to address the transient nature of plastic bag litter and moving away from the symbolic gesture of targeting only plastic shopping bags but considering the environmental impact of all forms of plastic such as straws, foamed plastics, plastic bottles and caps. There is a general consensus in literature that the end of plastic shopping bags is not nigh due to their utilitarian benefits. This study therefore recommends the promotion of a circular economy focusing on ecological modernisation, sustainable plastic bag manufacturing and recovery strategies such as recycling as a long-term strategy. A significant strand of literature reviewed also recommends the adoption of community-driven approaches such as voluntary initiatives as opposed to a plastic bag ban as they proved to be effective in promoting environmental citizenship behaviours in countries such as Finland.

scholarly journals Non-monetary intervention to discourage consumption of single-use plastic bags

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
GAURI CHANDRA
Keyword(s):  
Rebound Effect ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Response Format ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Randomized Controlled Experiment ◽  
A Charge

Abstract The over-utilization of plastic bags has pushed governments to implement a mix of policy measures ranging from banning the bags altogether to charging a fee for them. However, these policies are often accompanied by unintended consequences. Paying for plastic bags, in particular, may crowd out the negative emotions tied to their harmful impact on the environment, and may be subject to a ‘rebound effect’. In a randomized controlled experiment, I tested four different treatments aimed at nudging or encouraging consumers to carry their own bag to the stores. Specifically, I tested the effects of changing the framing of the question regarding carrier bags at the checkout till in stores using a yes/no response format, in which the yes option corresponds to the desired behaviour. The treatment with the yes/no framing format was found to have as strong and significant an effect as a charge of 5 pence per bag on discouraging single-use plastic bag consumption.

scholarly journals Assessment of awareness about plastic pollution and attitude regarding plastic bags usage among rural population of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 2146
Author(s):  
Shivashankari Pandirajan ◽  
V. Pragadeesh Raja ◽  
Jasmine Maruthupandiyan ◽  
Kalaivani Annadurai
Keyword(s):  
Health Problem ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Cooked Food ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Plastic, although a simple synthetic polymer consisting of small molecules (monomers) linked together in a repetitive formation, is extremely versatile; with properties ranging from, resistance to corrosion, light weight, high strength, transparency, low toxicity to durability. The plastic used for domestic purpose nearly 500 billion plastic bags used each year.2 It is the slow poisoning to human health, animals and also the environment. Some years before plastic usage was few purposes only, over the past 60 years, plastics production and waste have dramatically increased, now days everyone using single use plastic bags for all use including cooked food packing, storage of drinking water and even storage of vegetables. The objective of this to assess the awareness regarding plastic pollution and to assess the attitude regarding plastic bag usage.Methods: A Community based cross sectional Study conducted among the population of residence, Sembakkam, Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. The study duration between June to July 2019. Data collected through semi structured questionnaire from participants. Data Collected was entered in MS office excel and analyzed in SPSS version 21.Results: In the study, 67.5% (135) are males and 32.5% (65) are females. Mean age of the participants is 48.22 years (±14. 14). 86.5% (173) are literate and 13.5% (27) illiterate. In the study, participants 71% (142) answered plastic will cause health problem to animals and 24.5% (49) are not aware about health problem due to plastic. At the disposal of plastic 31% (62) replied burning of plastic which is followed by recycling the plastic 28% (56) (p<0.05) is the correct way of disposal. The majority of the participants, 90.5% (181) are supporting the banning of plastics and 5.5% (11) are not supporting the banning.Conclusions: Plastic usage has become a part of daily life, leading to the countless dumping of plastics. This in turn causes along with the environmental hazards, health hazards to both the humans and animals. The best recommendation is to reduce and reuse the daily usage of plastics. Strict Political and Administrative rules should be implemented and monitored.

scholarly journals Perception and Behavioral Changes of Thai Youths Towards the Plastic Bag Charging Program

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-45
Author(s):  
Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee ◽  
Dawisa Hoontrakool ◽  
Danny Marks
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
The Public ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Sustained Change ◽  
Thai Government ◽  
Perceived Behavior Control ◽  
Charging Program ◽  
Use Behavior ◽  
And Behavior

Thailand has one of the highest usage of plastic bags globally, with over 45,000 million plastic carrier bags used annually. Because of its high plastic consumption and mismanagement of plastic waste, Thailand was ranked sixth globally in terms of its contribution to marine plastic pollution in 2015. While many countries have introduced plastic bag charges or taxes to reduce consumption, the Thai government is reluctant to do likewise due to political concerns about whether the public will accept this. This study presents findings on perception and acceptance level of university students towards plastic bag charging program in their campuses. We investigated the factors influencing intention and behavior and changes in students’ attitude from 2017–2019. Results show that students’ reusable/cloth bags use behavior and charge acceptance have increased over time. Testing is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. We find that the factor which most influences consumers’ intention is perceived behavior control, which itself is determined by waste impact knowledge level and the perceived convenience of carrying reusable bag. In addition, the finding show that charging schemes are effective in breaking the habit of using plastic which will lead to a sustained change in behavior. Hence, policymakers should move implement plastic bag charging regulations in Thailand.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of intervention on behaviour change against use of non-biodegradable plastic bags: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gbadebo Collins Adeyanju ◽  
Teslin Maria Augustine ◽  
Stefan Volkmann ◽  
Usman Adetunji Oyebamiji ◽  
Sonia Ran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Regulatory Strategy ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Biological Decomposition

AbstractThe devastating impacts that bio-degradable products such as plastic bags are having on human health, wildlife, and the environment is enormous, especially single-use once. Single-use plastics are non-biodegradable products and does not undergo biological decomposition nor degenerate. This review examines various government regulations targeted at changing behaviour against plastic bags consumption and their effectiveness. Following a rigorous search in 13 databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Nature, etc. only 17 peer-reviewed journal articles that are published between 2000 and 2019 and met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Each study’s methodological quality was assessed using the GRADE system, and data were extracted using a uniquely designed form. The results revealed that regulations based solely on the thickness of plastic bags does not reduce plastic bags consumption. However, regulations focused on banning ‘single-use’ plastic bag usage, imposing higher taxes and levies on consumers, significantly reduce plastic bags consumption. Overall, the latter is considered the most effective. Also, the results show that attitude, perception and behaviour change toward bio-degradable products or climate-friendly behaviour can be significantly influenced by public policy or regulations. Although the behaviour seems short-lived in some countries, therefore further studies need to probe on why. Also, the absence of a national regulatory strategy in North America reduced the inclusion of studies from the region, hence need for more research focusing on sub-national regulations.

scholarly journals Knowledge Graphs for COVID-19: An Exploratory Review of the Current Landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Avishek Chatterjee ◽  
Cosimo Nardi ◽  
Cary Oberije ◽  
Philippe Lambin
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Improving Patient Care ◽  
Keyword Searches

Background: Searching through the COVID-19 research literature to gain actionable clinical insight is a formidable task, even for experts. The usefulness of this corpus in terms of improving patient care is tied to the ability to see the big picture that emerges when the studies are seen in conjunction rather than in isolation. When the answer to a search query requires linking together multiple pieces of information across documents, simple keyword searches are insufficient. To answer such complex information needs, an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technology named a knowledge graph (KG) could prove to be effective. Methods: We conducted an exploratory literature review of KG applications in the context of COVID-19. The search term used was “covid-19 knowledge graph”. In addition to PubMed, the first five pages of search results for Google Scholar and Google were considered for inclusion. Google Scholar was used to include non-peer-reviewed or non-indexed articles such as pre-prints and conference proceedings. Google was used to identify companies or consortiums active in this domain that have not published any literature, peer-reviewed or otherwise. Results: Our search yielded 34 results on PubMed and 50 results each on Google and Google Scholar. We found KGs being used for facilitating literature search, drug repurposing, clinical trial mapping, and risk factor analysis. Conclusions: Our synopses of these works make a compelling case for the utility of this nascent field of research.

scholarly journals Bacteriostatic Effect of a Calcined Waste Clamshell-Activated Plastic Film for Food Packaging

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Ya Kao ◽  
Yen-Chieh Huang ◽  
Sheng-Yi Chiu ◽  
Ko-Liang Kuo ◽  
Pai-An Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Antibacterial Properties ◽  
Viable Count ◽  
Migration Test ◽  
Bacteriostatic Effect ◽  
Fish Fillet ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
Raw Fish ◽  
Metal Migration

The addition of calcined waste clamshells (CCS) into polyethylene (PE) plastic bags imparts antibacterial properties due to the presence of CaO. In this study, different proportions of calcined waste clamshells were added to PE to explore its bacteriostatic effects. The PE plastic bags with 9% and 11% of CCS exhibited antibacterial efficacy. Further, total aerobic viable count (TVC) values for raw fish fillet packaging in 9% and 11% CCS-PE plastic bags for five days were similar to the 0% CCS-PE plastic bag group after three days of incubation. In addition, the CCS-PE plastic bag demonstrated stability against solvents when examined using the metal migration test under heptane, ethanol, and acetic acid treatments. The results revealed that the CCS-PE bag retains its CaO bacteriostatic efficacy and that the addition of CCS powder to PE prolongs the shelf life of raw fish fillets, as well as mitigating safety concerns from metal leakage.

Public Policy Evaluation on Limitation of The Use of Plastics Bags based on Social Marketing Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-207
Author(s):  
Cheryl Pricilla Bensa
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Target Behavior ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
Plastic Bag ◽  
The Government ◽  
Quota Sampling

The plastic bag diet campaign has been carried out by many parties including government agencies, but the campaign is feared to only reach the cognitive stage, not a meaningful change in attitude. Many campaigns on the problem of plastic waste have been carried out from NGOs, the private sector, and the government, but what is wrong so as to the problem of plastic waste continues to occur? Why does the problem of plastic waste still stop at the campaign without a comprehensive behavior implementation of the community? The research method was a survey using quota sampling and descriptive. The population people in Balikpapan, Jakarta and Surabaya. The campaign to limit plastic bags can be successful if there is a synergy of the regulators; the government and NGOs, the private sector such as retailers, and the community. The related parties are expected to design a campaign in accordance with the social marketing model. Moreover, the related parties must also conduct formative research of the target behavior: the community about plastic waste and the extent to which the related parties must endeavor so that it can be known what audience benefits are most appropriate in formulating a campaign. In the implementation of social marketing, related parties have to clearly formulate the target behavior that exists so that people are not confused and have one voice. In addition, policies must also be upheld to support and maintain the results of social marketing to be sustainable. Moreover, educational and outreach programs that can change behavior about the environment will also help future generations to reduce pollution of plastic waste.

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