22.05.2023 Views

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.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

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

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!