| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this research is to indicate the influence of environmental voluntary agreements (EVA) on participating organisations in terms of inter-organisational and intra-organisational changes. For this research a case study design was used, wherein the Plastics Pact NL (hereinafter the Plastics Pact) together with its participants were the unit of analysis. The study was implemented through conducting desk research and semi-structured interviews, having a matrix filled out, and informal observations of meetings of the Plastics Pact. Sixteen participants were included in the research, who have participated from the beginning of the pact and together covered the entire value chain. The results illustrate that the Plastics Pact influences the direction, precision of targets, and scope of plastic strategies, internal business processes (mostly regarding monitoring processes), and connections through the value chain. Currently, interviewed participants are mostly located in the middle of the change process whereby participants have set up a strategy and an implementation plan, empowering broad-based action, and have established some short-term wins. However, these organisations encounter certain organisational, technical, and system barriers to change. System barriers are mostly experienced when participants work towards the recycled content target and the recycling target of the Plastics Pact. Interestingly, not all participants internalised the targets of the Plastics Pact. Hence, the Plastics Pact is recommended to monitor the commitment of all parties and to provide additional stimulus to these organisations, in order to prevent free riding behaviour. Further research could focus on the intra-organisational and inter-organisational changes after the completion of the Plastics Pact. Moreover, the difference in successful completion of EVAs involving sectoral actors compared to EVAs involving value chain actors could also be further explored. | |
