Project properties
Title Conventional versus bio-plastic food packaging in a circular economy
Group Public Administration and Policy
Project type thesis
Credits 24
Supervisor(s) Dr. Tamara Metze (PAP), Ivanna Colijn (FPE) and Prof. Dr. Karin Schroen (FPE)
Examiner(s) Prof. Dr. Katrien Termeer (PAP)
Contact info tamara.metze-burghouts@wur.nl
Begin date 2019/03/01
End date 2023/01/01
Description Plastic is a crucial material for the food industry as it ensures food safety and reduces food waste. In addition, it is cheap, light, and easy to process which makes plastic often the best choice compared to other materials such as paper or glass. However, too often our current plastic production and usage follows a linear economy, i.e. non-renewable sources are needed for production and used packages end up in landfill. This is clearly illustrated by our oceans which contain millions of tonnes of plastic (Suaria et al., 2016). For that reason, there is an urgent need to tackle sustainability issues related to plastic production and usage.

To create a circular economy, bio-plastics can be used as alternative to conventional plastics. In contrast to most conventional plastics such as PET or PP, bio-plastics are made from renewable sources and/or can degrade under specific conditions in a relatively short period of time (European Bioplastics, 2016). Although this looks like a clear definition, many similar terms circle around which could cause confusion. These include biodegradable plastic, bio-based plastic, oxo-degradable plastic, recyclable plastic, compostable plastic, and bio-PET. Furthermore, information about bioplastics can be rather contradictory. On the one hand, the use of biodegradable plastic packages is actively promoted by leading food companies such as Nestlé Waters (Nestlé, 2019) and Pepsico (Plastics Today, 2018). On the other hand, the UN has shown its concern because improper waste collection of biodegradable plastics can disturb the end of life treatments (UNEP, 2015). It is therefore not surprising that a preliminary result of BiNA showed that the level of knowledge of the German public about bio-plastics is rather low and shaped by misconceptions (euobserver, 2016).

Tremendous work is needed to switch our plastic industry into a circular economy and this will have a great impact on society. In addition, it will only be successful with full cooperation of all stakeholders involved e.g., scientists, plastic experts, governments, non-governmental organizations, food companies, and most importantly consumers. To make the transition smooth and efficient, clear communication is needed. Images and illustrations are a strong way of communication which could influence the believes and thoughts of people. In addition, images and illustrations give insights about the opinion of the people and organizations, who release and use them.

The aim of the current study is to explore the definition, point of view, and thoughts about conventional plastics and bioplastics. A visual frame analysis will be carried out to investigate the captured meaning behind the images and illustrations. Here, the media amplification theory will be used, to explain how the perception of publics differ from experts (Kasperson, 1998). Mapping the opinion about (bio) plastics is relevant to determine the best way of communication, which may ultimately be used to start the transition from a linear to a circular economy.
Used skills Qualitative and or quantitative research methods
Requirements We look for one or more highly ambitious student(s), who is/are capable of working autonomously, has/have affinity with food innovation debates, and has/have experience with using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Students are expected to further develop the above in a stand-alone research proposal. Students who choose to conduct research in developing countries are expected to be comfortable with working under tougher working conditions.