Solutions to the plastic waste crisis are often proposed using language that can distort value judgments, according to a new study.
The research, led by the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, investigates the impact of terminology choices in end-of-life solutions for plastic waste.
Recycling has long been touted as a solution to plastic sustainability, but it takes many forms and can sometimes act as a smokescreen for the real debate.
‘Upcycling’ and ‘downcycling’ may be a barrier to solving the plastic waste problem
The researchers argued that directional terms such as “upcycling” and “downcycling” are poorly defined as value propositions, and their use can distort perceptions of benefits and act as a barrier to circularity.
For example, “downcycling” means that less desirable or “not-so-good” materials are produced as the final product of the recycling process, whereas “upcycling” has positive connotations.
However, despite what these terms imply, while ‘downcycled’ streams can yield high-value products, ‘upcycled’ routes can have a greater negative impact on the environment than alternative routes to solving the plastic waste crisis.
The use of these terms assigns disproportionate value to a particular end-of-life solution strategy and can be used by proponents or critics of various recycling technologies to obscure the true assessment of environmental impact.
Clearer communication is essential to drive investment in solutions
The researchers suggest that plastic waste solutions have not always lived up to the messages promoted in the market and that communicating more clearly the true value of products obtained from recycling processes is essential to encourage investment in proper plastic waste management.
Corresponding author Professor Michael Shaver, Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Manchester, explained:
“As these terms are currently being used to promote technology outside of sustainable systems, we felt it was important to call for clarity and caution when inferring quality from this directional terminology.”
A clearer view of discontinued products
Researchers argue that there is no single quick-fix solution and that the terminology should not suggest otherwise.
Therefore, we are calling for greater clarity on how products are valued at the end of their useful life. They propose a “spiral system” of reuse. In this system, plastic materials are treated as a complex mixture, similar to crude oil, and can be chemically broken down at the end of their lifespan and transformed into a wide variety of longer-lasting products over their lifetime.
For example, a yogurt pot can be reconfigured into a car part and then into a park bench. Eventually, after many years of use, it can be chemically degraded and returned to the yogurt pot.
Polypropylene in such simple packaging is already used in cars, hard-shell suitcases, garden furniture, appliances, plumbing, etc., so a cross-sectoral approach to plastic waste reuse has the potential to create more value than an approach that focuses solely on single-use packaging.
Plastic waste should be evaluated according to its environmental and economic value
The researchers suggest that by moving away from directional terminology, plastic waste can be valued based on the measurable environmental and economic value of the final product.
This ensures that you move away from language-based assumptions or subjective values that are not necessarily supported by a full life cycle assessment or economic analysis.
“Building a circular plastics economy means looking at the whole system, rather than pitting individual solutions against each other. A sustainable future requires collaboration across policy, industry, innovation and sectors,” said Dr Claire Seitzinger, another corresponding lead researcher.
“The next time you eat yogurt, where do you want to put that pot? Should it be in a different yogurt pot? On a park bench? In your car? What’s best? And what should packaging manufacturers, or governments, do to make that happen?” she concluded.
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