Assessing the ecological and economic transformation pathways of plastic production system

Issifu, I., Dahmouni, I., & Sumaila, U. R. (2025). Assessing the ecological and economic transformation pathways of plastic production system. In Journal of Environmental Management (Vol. 374, p. 124104). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124104

This paper assesses the environmental and economic consequences of plastic production, highlighting its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. It proposes a voluntary levy on major plastic producers to fund increased recycling and reduce production, modelling various participation scenarios to predict emission reductions. The study uses climate and economic models alongside game theory to evaluate the effectiveness of this policy intervention, considering both its environmental benefits and potential economic impacts. A fair allocation of levy costs is explored using cooperative game theory. Finally, the study concludes that a substantial reduction in plastic production is achievable through the proposed levy, with minimal negative economic consequences.

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Tags:
Carbon dioxide equivalents Cooperative behavior External costs GHG emissions Plastic pollution Voluntary levy