Evaluating scenarios for carbon reduction using different tableware in China

Revitalizing plastic wastes employing bio-circular-green economy principles for carbon neutrality

The use of plastics has become deeply ingrained in our society, and there are no indications that its prevalence will decrease in the foreseeable future. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the global plastic waste disposal landscape, examining it through regional perspectives, various management technologies (dumping or landfilling, incineration, and reuse and recycling), and across different sectors including agriculture and food, textile, tourism, and healthcare. Notably, this study compiles the findings on life-cycle carbon footprints associated with various plastic waste management practices as documented in the literature. Employing the bio-circular-green economy model, we advocate for the adoption of streamlined and sustainable approaches to plastic management. Unique management measures are also discussed including the utilization of bioplastics combined with smart and efficient collection processes that facilitate recycling, industrial composting, or anaerobic digestion. Moreover, the integration of advanced recycling methods for conventional plastics with renewable energy, the establishment of plastic tax and credits, and the establishment of extended producer responsibility are reviewed. The success of these initiatives relies on collaboration and support from peers, industries, and consumers, ultimately contributing to informed decision-making and fostering sustainable practices in plastic waste management.

Applying the SOR framework to mitigate single-use plastic tableware consumption and why does it work? Solving the dissonance with an extended SOR framework

Although plastic pollution is a critical environmental issue worldwide and household consumption of single-use plastic tableware (SUPT) is a growing concern, research on the determinants of SUPT use is deficient. In light of the prevalent and frequent use of SUPT, the far-reaching nature of its consumption, and its distinctive health concerns, compounded by the lack of dedicated regulations, this article sheds light on the SUPT problem and strives to minimize SUPT consumption. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework has been extensively applied in various contexts but not yet in the context of household SUPT consumption. In this study, we aim to fill the lacuna by examining the motives behind SUPT consumption using two online questionnaires in two Western countries that are known for relatively high domestic SUPT consumption: Israel (Study 1, n = 408) and the USA (Study 2, n = 295). Our findings indicate that personal attitudes toward the plastic problem ("organism" in the SOR taxonomy) mediate the relation between plastic health problem awareness ("stimulus") and SUPT consumption ("response"). Moreover, we identified perceived behavioral control (PBC) as a significant predictor of behavior when behavior is not under volitional control (i.e., an action against the individual's self-interest), as in the SUPT context. Therefore, we propose expanding the SOR framework with the organism comprising attitude and PBC, thus supporting the dissonance theory (double mediation). We suggest that modifying personal attitudes toward the plastic problem by enhancing plastic health problem awareness may strengthen PBC and reduce SUPT consumption. Overall, this study deepens our understanding of SUPT consumption by highlighting the importance of attitude and PBC as mechanisms that link awareness to sustainable behavior.

Quantification analysis of microplastics released from disposable polystyrene tableware with fluorescent polymer staining

Ingesting microplastics (MPs) from plastic tableware is an important source of health risk to human bodies. However, the comprehensive information of MPs released from disposable tableware has not been explored. Herein, a new visual quantification method for polystyrene MPs is proposed with carbon nitride fluorescent polymers staining, which can overcome the disadvantages of high signal background and photobleaching derived from organic dyes staining. Combining with fluorescence microscope and ImageJ software, the quantity, shape, and size distribution of MPs carried by the brand-new disposable polystyrene tableware (DPT) samples before usage and released from the clean DPT samples in different simulated usage scenes were studied. The brand-new DPT samples were found to carry a large number of MPs particles and the clean DPT samples could release MPs during usage. Fiber and fragment are the main morphology of the detected MPs and fiber accounts for 45-52 %. The particles with size <50 μm are the majority of the detected MPs and the distribution fraction of MPs particles is gradually decreased with the raising of particle size within 50 μm. The released MPs particles are increased with the raising of contact time and temperature, and greatly boosted for the DPT samples with cracks. The DPT samples are more like to release MPs in weak acidic condition (pH 4.0) than in weak alkaline (pH 8.3) and neutral (pH 7.0) conditions. The obtained results help to assess the food safety of tack-out food and the health risk of MPs exposure to human.

Post-consumer plastic packaging waste from online food delivery services in South Korea

Along with the rapid growth of the food delivery industry, concerns are growing regarding the management of plastic packaging waste. This study estimates the amount of plastic packaging from online food delivery services in Korea and assesses its environmental effects using life cycle assessments. This study also compares the environmental impacts of the adoption of multi-use containers, the use of recycled materials, and the increase in recycling rates proposed by the Korean government for efficient plastic waste management. A total of 72.93 kt of plastic packaging was consumed by online food delivery in 2020, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate accounted for 81.48% of the packaging materials consumed. The adoption of multi-use containers is the most environmentally effective alternative, but its negative impact on terrestrial ecotoxicity is approximately 5 times higher than that of others. Although the other two alternatives are 2-6 times less efficient than adopting multi-use containers, they can still play an important role in plastic waste management. Overall, these results provide empirical information on food packaging waste and insights into the sustainable management of plastics. Keywords: Food packaging, Plastic waste, Online food delivery service, Waste management, Environmental impact.

Hybrid Ecological Footprint of Taipei

The Ecological Footprint (EF) has been effectively used at the global, national and regional levels, but the local EF accounting methods are lacking. The hybrid EF has been developed to calculate the local EF. It combines a “top-down” approach to determining national EF (five components other than Carbon Footprint, CF) with a “bottom-up” approach to determining local CF (food, housing, transportation). The use of the hybrid EF is cost-effective. The hybrid EF reflects the local context and can be used to measure the progress of local sustainable development and as a basis for environmental responsibility. This study uses statistical databases for Taiwan and Taipei to calculate the hybrid EF of Taipei in 2018. The hybrid EF of Taipei was 4.797 global hectares (gha) in that year, of which the top-down national EF was 0.613 gha and the bottom-up local CF was 4.184 gha. The hybrid EF is lower than Taiwan’s EF (6.460 gha), but the local CF is higher than Taiwan’s CF (3.890 gha), reflecting the urban nature and characteristics of Taipei, which has a high density, high income and high consumption expenditure. With respect to the local CF of Taipei, food is associated with the largest component of CF (2.806 gha), and transportation is associated with the second largest component thereof (1.133 gha). Housing is associated with the smallest component (0.245 gha). Based on these results, five refinements of hybrid EF accounting and two application dimensions are proposed. First, whether the hybrid EF captures the lifestyle of the real situation in Taipei warrants further investigation. Second, the components of national EF that are associated with food should be used to accommodate regional differences by applying a scaling factor. Third, Taiwan’s CF in 2018 accounted for 60.2% of its national EF, but Taipei’s CF accounted for 87.2% of its hybrid EF. Fourth, Taipei’s CF associated with housing is low (0.245 gha/person), while the values for eastern European cities are high (3.140 gha/person). Fifth, Taipei citizens have a fairly high CF associated with private vehicles, warranting a follow-up review of urban sustainable transportation policies.

The impact of reusable tableware packaging combined with environmental propaganda on consumer behaviour in online retail

With the development of the takeaway industry, the demand for disposable cutlery is increasing, posing a heavy burden on the environment. Helping reusable tableware increase market share is important because it helps preserve the natural environment while making commercial gains. Given the additional cost to consumers of using reusable tableware in many settings, this article examines the impact of incorporating environmental propaganda into packaging design on consumer behaviour. The results show that the new packaging with high environmental propaganda satisfaction improves consumers' brand loyalty, purchase intention and continuance intention. The packaging of low environmental propaganda satisfaction may have negative effects and should be used with caution.

Assessment of physical quantity and value of natural capital in China since the 21st century based on a modified ecological footprint model

Natural capital accounting is an essential prerequisite for the harmonious development of human beings and nature and benign interactions between economy and environment. Although the ecological footprint has significantly contributed to sustainability evaluation for many years, the traditional ecological footprint model is limited by lack of value accounting, incomplete account content, neglect of multi-functions of land, and geographical spatial heterogeneity. These limitations reduce the universality of this model. To improve the value accounting of the ecological footprint model, this study takes national hectares (nha) as the measurement unit and includes the freshwater and pollution footprints. The dynamic changes of natural capital from 2000 to 2018 were calculated and analyzed in 31 Chinese provinces. The main findings are summarized here. China's physical quantity of ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, and ecological deficit in 2018 was 4.03, 0.79, and -3.24 billion nha, respectively. The energy account contributed most of the physical quantity in the ecological footprint (72.12% of the total). From 2000 to 2018, the physical quantities of the per capita ecological footprint and the per capita ecological deficit increased at 5.49% and 10.08% per annum, respectively, while the physical quantity of the per capita ecological carrying capacity decreased by 0.55% per annum. The physical quantities of the per capita ecological footprint and per capita ecological deficit were spatially distributed, reducing in the order of East > Central > West. The spatial distribution of the physical quantity of the per capita ecological carrying capacity showed the opposite trend. By 2018, China's ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, and ecological deficit were valued at 18.09, 12.44 and CNY -5.65 trillion, respectively. Over the 2000-2018 period, the per capita ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity increased by 495 and CNY 370 per annum, respectively, while the per capita ecological deficit expanded at CNY -125 per annum. The biological account contributed approximately 59.53% of the value quantity of the ecological footprint. Since the twenty-first century, the cumulative effect of excessive consumption has placed increasing pressure on China's ecosystems. On mainland China, only Tibet showed an ecological surplus in 2018. The ecological pressure index decreased in the order of East > Central > West. As Western China has developed extensively and its ecological deficit is rapidly expanding, this region deserves special attention. The most ecologically challenging regions in China are Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing. In contrast, Jilin, Qinghai, and Tibet impose low ecological pressure in China. These findings contribute to the standardization and localization of the ecological footprint model in China and provide a reference for regional resource management and ecological construction.