Can plastic packaging become sustainable?
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2024-07-16
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en
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Global plastic production has increased from 2 million tons in 1950 to 380 million tons in 2015. It is responsible for 1.7 gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions, which are mostly CO2 emissions. Expectations are that this keeps increasing due to population growth and higher demand. This represents a concern because CO2 emissions are causing climate change. As the Netherlands aims to become climate neutral by 2050, reducing the CO2 emissions caused by the plastic sector is fundamental. Focusing on plastic packaging is vital, owning to the fact that it is the biggest category of plastics within the Netherlands.
In this study System Dynamics Modeling was used in combination with Life Cycle Assessment, to model the life cycle of plastic packaging in the Netherlands, while capturing the dynamics of consumer behavior. Under different scenarios the CO2 emissions caused by plastic packaging life cycle was explored.
The results show that under the explored scenarios the emissions caused by plastic packaging life cycle can be significantly reduced. However, they do not show a climate neutral system by 2050. Based on these results, it can be concluded that a multilayered strategy should be applied to achieve the most optimal results, which emphasizes consumer behavioral changes and reducing the demand.
The most important contribution of this thesis is the model itself. It is a first for quantifying consumer behavior in relation to the plastic packaging life cycle in the Netherland in which System Dynamics and Life Cycle Assessment elements were combined. The model can be a basis for future research and be further adapted and refined. Other important avenues for further research include determining the feasibility and implementation of a multilayered strategy.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen