Politics and the plastic crisis: A review throughout the plastic life cycle

Abstract This article surveys the politics of plastics through a reading and analysis of more than 180 scientific articles in the fields of environmental science and environmental studies. Despite the many benefits of plastics, the global plastic system is increasingly being recognized as the source of severe environmental problems. Rather than orient the investigation around specific venues, levels, or architectures of governance, our survey first follows plastic through its life cycle, and then considers the major categories of plastic objects addressed in the current literature, and the different approaches taken to each category. The politics of plastics is a growing field of inquiry, with the most rapid…

• P
  PepsiCo
• SF
  Stiftelsen för Miljöstrategisk Forskning

  Award: No. 2016/1489
• EC
  European Commission
• JA
  Johnson and Johnson
• HE
  H2020 Environment

  Award: 730053