Toxic Legacies / Filtering the Truth
The concept of recycling has gained immense popularity as a sustainable approach to waste pollution and is embraced as a potential solution to our escalating environmental crisis. However, not all recycling practices – especially when it comes to plastic – are necessarily environmentally friendly. In many cases, claims to recyclability are merely greenwashing, a marketing strategy used by companies to position themselves as environ- mentally conscious without implementing actual changes in their production practices. My master project aims to investigate the greenwashing behind recycling and how the concept of recycling can tend to justify the production of waste in a consumer-based system.
The concept of recycling has gained immense popularity as a sustainable approach to waste pollution and is embraced as a potential solution to our escalating environmental crisis. However, not all recycling practices – especially when it comes to plastic – are necessarily environmentally friendly. In many cases, claims to recyclability are merely greenwashing, a marketing strategy used by companies to position themselves as environ- mentally conscious without implementing actual changes in their production practices.
My master project aims to investigate the greenwashing behind recycling and how the concept of recycling can tend to justify the production of waste in a consumer-based system.
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
35 Horvat, P. and Kržan, A. (2012) Certification
of bioplastics. Plastice, Innovative value
chain development for sustainable plastici in
Central Europe.
36 Albertsson, A.C. and Hakkarainen, M.
(2017) Designed to degrade. Science, 358(6365),
pp.872-873.
37 Tanja Narancic, Steven Verstichel, Srinivasa
Reddy Chaganti, Laura Morales-Gamez,
Shane T. Kenny, Bruno De Wilde, Ramesh Babu
Padamati, and Kevin E. O’Connor (2018) Environmental
Science & Technology 52 (18), 10441-
10452. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b02963
38 Die Recyclinglüge (2022) Directed by Tom
Costello and Benedikt Wermter [Film]. Germany:
a&o Buero Filmproduktion.
39 The Warehouses of Plastic Behind TerraCycle’s
Recycling Dream (2022) Bloomberg.
Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-terracycle-tom-szaky/
(accessed
March 5 2023);
43 Changing Markets Foundation (2022) Report:
License to Greenwash: How certification
schemes and voluntary initiatives are fuelling
fossil fashion, available at: https://changingmarkets.org/portfolio/fossil-fashion/
(accessed: December
19 2022)
44 Changing Markets Foundation (2021)
Report: Fossil Fashion: The hidden reliance of
fast fashion on fossil fuels, available at: https://
changingmarkets.org/portfolio/fossil-fashion/
(accessed: December 18 2022)
45 USEPA, Municipal Solid waste in the
United States (2005) Facts and Figures. United
States Environmental Protection Agency, office
of solid waste, October 2006;
Rubin, I., Bag Ban is misguided Solution. Plastic
News, November 26, 2007, 6.
46 Muthu, S. S. Li, Y., Hu, J.Y., Mok, P.Y., Ding,
X. (2012) Eco-Impact of Plastic and Paper Shopping
Bags. Journal of Engineered Fibers and
Fabrics, Volume 7, Issue 1. Page 26-37;
Lozanova, S. (2022) Is TerraCycle Greenwashing
the Waste Crisis? Available at: https://earth911.
com/business-policy/is-terracycle-greenwashing-the-waste-crisis/
(accessed March 5 2023)
40 RPET - Recycled Polyester: What It Is, How
It’s Made, And Why We Use It (2022) YLXGear.
Available at: https://ylxgear.com/blog/rpet-recycled-polyester-what-how-why
(accessed: December
20 2022)
41 Ecolabelling of clothes has catastrophic
consequences for the environment (2020)
Science Norway. Available at: https://sciencenorway.no/clothing-fashion-opinion/ecolabelling-of-clothes-has-catastrophic-consequences-for-the-
environment/1768590
(accessed: December 20 2022)
42 Biomimicry Institute (2020) Report: The
Nature of Fashion: Moving towards a regenerative
system, available at: https://biomimicry.org/
thenatureoffashion/ (accessed December 18
2022)
Lajeunesse, S., Plastic Bags (2004) Chemical and
Engineering News, 82(38), 51
47 Okoro, M. (2012) Environmental impact
analysis of pulp and paper production. Grin.
Available at: https://www.sourcegreen.co/plastics/paper-vs-plastic-which-is-really-better-forpackaging/
(accessed March 6 2023)
48 Paper Vs Plastic: Which Is Really Better
For Packaging? (2022) Source Green. Available
at: https://www.sourcegreen.co/plastics/papervs-plastic-which-is-really-better-for-packaging/
(accessed March 6 2023)
49 OECD (2020) PFASs and Alternatives in
Food Packaging (Paper and Paperboard) Report
on the Commercial Availability and Current Uses,
OECD Series on Risk Management, No. 58, Environment,
Health and Safety, Environment Directorate,
OECD.
188