| dc.description.abstract | Plastic pollution has been in the spotlight for over a decade. Plastic packaging floods retail shelves due to its useful material properties. The negative environmental impact of such products has already been discussed widely, with significant actions being initiated to manage flexible plastic packaging and closing the resource loops. By building on the Mission-Oriented Innovation Systems (MIS) framework, this master's thesis aims to comprehend the main drivers and barriers to achieving a Circular Economy for the Dutch flexible plastic packaging industry.
MIS is defined as the net of agents and institutions that assist to the acceleration and dissemination of innovative solutions to determine, seek, and achieve a societal challenge (Hekkert, Janssen, Wesseling, & Negro, 2020)
The approach includes a problem-solution diagnosis, where the four pathways [mechanical and chemical recycling (MR, CR), bioplastics, and reusables] are identified by assessing the implementation of the NL Plastic Pact. A thorough structural analysis based on the literature review follows. The main actors in the flexible plastic packaging value chain are waste suppliers, producer responsibility organizations, recyclers, converters, and third parties. The functional analysis is executed through a historical event analysis approach, where events are gathered chronologically to capture the bigger picture of the transition's drivers and barriers.
Notably, the historical event analysis indicated that MR is driven by high experimentation, high problem directionality, and market creation. However, the path’s barriers are associated with limited reallocation of resources and medium coordination. For CR, what leads its development is mostly the high solution directionality, the creation of coalitions, and the high experimentation. What disrupts its further development is the low problem directionality and the almost nonexistent market creation. Additionally, bioplastics' development is associated with the high experimentation and the incorporation of such products in companies' portfolios. Nonetheless, low solution directionality and low legitimacy are considered the main barriers. Finally, reusable, flexible plastic packaging is driven by high problem directionality and extended legitimacy over reusability. However, knowledge development seems to be lacking, with low experimentation and almost inexistent market creation.
Several interconnections affect paths' development and the overall mission. First, MR and CR have a complementary relationship. However, the further development of CR may destabilize MR in the mission. Secondly, a mutually reinforcing relationship between bioplastics and MR also exists. On the one hand, the two paths have a symbiotic relationship. On the other hand, the two paths experience a competing relationship. Finally, MR occupies a significant share in the mission, resulting in the neglect of reusability. | |
