Standards as a Tool for Reducing Plastic Waste

Qamar Schuyler (), Connie Ho and Fariba Ramezani
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Qamar Schuyler: Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Connie Ho: Standards Australia, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Fariba Ramezani: Standards Australia, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-8

Abstract: Standards are one avenue for addressing the problems caused by plastic pollution. By addressing quality and safety plus information and measurement, reducing variety and increasing compatibility, standards can help to drive the transition to a circular economy for plastic resources. The aim of this work was to classify existing plastic standards within a circular economy framework and to identify potential gaps and highlight where future standards development might be focused. Using desktop research on existing standards, 95 plastic standards were identified, only 9 of which are Australian standards. The majority of the standards cover recycling and compostable or biodegradable plastics. There are significant opportunities to develop standards pertaining to higher levels of the plastics waste hierarchy, such as design and reuse.

Keywords: specifications; standards; debris; pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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