IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v156y2021ics0301421521002883.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Plastic dinosaurs – Digging deep into the accelerating carbon lock-in of plastics

Author

Listed:
  • Bauer, Fredric
  • Fontenit, Germain

Abstract

The continued expansion of plastics production all over the world entrenches modern societies and life styles deeper in the dependence on fossil resources. This research note develops the main aspects of the carbon lock-in in the plastics industry and how it extends into many aspects of contemporary life. With data collected from trade press and reports, we present insights of the investment trends in the plastics industry from the past decade. We show that among the twelve largest companies 88 new projects for production capacity increase and infrastructure expansion were announced between 2012 and 2019. We connect this increasing infrastructural lock-in to actions and strategies enacted by the industry to restrict regulations on the use of plastics and support specific consumer behaviour to uphold also an institutional and behavioural lock-in. The paper outlines the need for more extensive research on the plastics and petrochemical sectors, especially regarding data from Asian companies and activities in China in particular. We also point to areas of grave concern for new policy, aiming to reduce the high growth rate for the volumes of oil and gas that feed the industry as the current focus on plastic waste collection and recycling is insufficient.

Suggested Citation

  • Bauer, Fredric & Fontenit, Germain, 2021. "Plastic dinosaurs – Digging deep into the accelerating carbon lock-in of plastics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:156:y:2021:i:c:s0301421521002883
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112418
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421521002883
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112418?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Unruh, Gregory C. & Carrillo-Hermosilla, Javier, 2006. "Globalizing carbon lock-in," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1185-1197, July.
    2. Tobias D. Nielsen & Jacob Hasselbalch & Karl Holmberg & Johannes Stripple, 2020. "Politics and the plastic crisis: A review throughout the plastic life cycle," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), January.
    3. Thomas Verbeek & Alice Mah, 2020. "Integration and Isolation in the Global Petrochemical Industry: A Multiscalar Corporate Network Analysis," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 96(4), pages 363-387, August.
    4. repec:aen:journl:eeep4_1_krupnick is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Gay Hawkins, 2018. "The skin of commerce: governing through plastic food packaging," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(5), pages 386-403, September.
    6. Jiajia Zheng & Sangwon Suh, 2019. "Strategies to reduce the global carbon footprint of plastics," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(5), pages 374-378, May.
    7. ., 1998. "Technological Change," Chapters, in: Heinz D. Kurz & Neri Salvadori (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Classical Economics, volume 0, chapter 127, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Christopher G. F. Bataille, 2020. "Physical and policy pathways to net‐zero emissions industry," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(2), March.
    9. Unruh, Gregory C., 2000. "Understanding carbon lock-in," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 817-830, October.
    10. Zhongmin Wang and Alan Krupnick, 2015. "A Retrospective Review of Shale Gas Development in the United States: What Led to the Boom?," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    11. Maréchal, Kevin, 2010. "Not irrational but habitual: The importance of "behavioural lock-in" in energy consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1104-1114, March.
    12. Alice Mah, 2021. "Future-Proofing Capitalism: The Paradox of the Circular Economy for Plastics," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 21(2), pages 121-142, Spring.
    13. Rigamonti, L. & Grosso, M. & Møller, J. & Martinez Sanchez, V. & Magnani, S. & Christensen, T.H., 2014. "Environmental evaluation of plastic waste management scenarios," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 42-53.
    14. van Sluisveld, Mariësse A.E. & Worrell, Ernst, 2013. "The paradox of packaging optimization – a characterization of packaging source reduction in the Netherlands," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 133-142.
    15. Middleton, Richard S. & Gupta, Rajan & Hyman, Jeffrey D. & Viswanathan, Hari S., 2017. "The shale gas revolution: Barriers, sustainability, and emerging opportunities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 88-95.
    16. Jiajia Zheng & Sangwon Suh, 2019. "Publisher Correction: Strategies to reduce the global carbon footprint of plastics," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(7), pages 567-567, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dong, Kangyin & Jia, Rongwen & Zhao, Congyu & Wang, Kun, 2023. "Can smart transportation inhibit carbon lock-in? The case of China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 59-69.
    2. Alejandro Aristi Capetillo & Fredric Bauer & Cristina Chaminade, 2023. "Emerging Technologies Supporting the Transition to a Circular Economy in the Plastic Materials Value Chain," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    3. Zhao, Congyu & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Hong-Dian & Wang, Kun & Dong, Xiucheng, 2023. "How does energy poverty eradication realize the path to carbon unlocking? The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Foxon, Timothy J., 2011. "A coevolutionary framework for analysing a transition to a sustainable low carbon economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2258-2267.
    2. Zhang, Hui & Cao, Libin & Zhang, Bing, 2017. "Emissions trading and technology adoption: An adaptive agent-based analysis of thermal power plants in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 23-32.
    3. Konrad, Kai A. & Lommerud, Kjell Erik, 2021. "Effective climate policy needs non-combustion uses for hydrocarbons," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    4. Karlsson, Rasmus, 2012. "Carbon lock-in, rebound effects and China at the limits of statism," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 939-945.
    5. N. O. Kapustin & D. A. Grushevenko, 2023. "Assessment of Long-Term Prospects for Demand in the Plastics Market in the Face of Industry Transformation," Studies on Russian Economic Development, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 243-253, April.
    6. Carolan, Michael S., 2010. "Ethanol’s most recent breakthrough in the United States: A case of socio-technical transition," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 65-71.
    7. Geels, Frank W. & Kemp, René, 2007. "Dynamics in socio-technical systems: Typology of change processes and contrasting case studies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 441-455.
    8. Floater, Graham & Rode, Philipp & Robert, Alexis & Kennedy, Chris & Hoornweg, Dan & Slavcheva, Roxana & Godfrey, Nick, 2014. "Cities and the New Climate Economy: the transformative role of global urban growth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60775, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Gürsan, C. & de Gooyert, V., 2021. "The systemic impact of a transition fuel: Does natural gas help or hinder the energy transition?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    10. Sen, Suphi & von Schickfus, Marie-Theres, 2020. "Climate policy, stranded assets, and investors’ expectations," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    11. Foxon, Timothy J. & Pearson, Peter J.G. & Arapostathis, Stathis & Carlsson-Hyslop, Anna & Thornton, Judith, 2013. "Branching points for transition pathways: assessing responses of actors to challenges on pathways to a low carbon future," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 146-158.
    12. Erlinghagen, Sabine & Markard, Jochen, 2012. "Smart grids and the transformation of the electricity sector: ICT firms as potential catalysts for sectoral change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 895-906.
    13. Zhao, Congyu & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Hong-Dian & Wang, Kun & Dong, Xiucheng, 2023. "How does energy poverty eradication realize the path to carbon unlocking? The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    14. Ruggiero, Salvatore & Varho, Vilja & Rikkonen, Pasi, 2015. "Transition to distributed energy generation in Finland: Prospects and barriers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 433-443.
    15. Gilbert Moyen Massa & Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki, 2024. "An Imported Environmental Crisis: Plastic Mismanagement in Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.
    16. Moradi, Afsaneh & Vagnoni, Emidia, 2018. "A multi-level perspective analysis of urban mobility system dynamics: What are the future transition pathways?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 231-243.
    17. Fertel, Camille & Bahn, Olivier & Vaillancourt, Kathleen & Waaub, Jean-Philippe, 2013. "Canadian energy and climate policies: A SWOT analysis in search of federal/provincial coherence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1139-1150.
    18. David Duindam, 2022. "Transitioning to Sustainable Healthcare: Decarbonising Healthcare Clinics, a Literature Review," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, December.
    19. Schmidt, Tobias S. & Battke, Benedikt & Grosspietsch, David & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2016. "Do deployment policies pick technologies by (not) picking applications?—A simulation of investment decisions in technologies with multiple applications," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(10), pages 1965-1983.
    20. Binz, Christian & Truffer, Bernhard & Li, Li & Shi, Yajuan & Lu, Yonglong, 2012. "Conceptualizing leapfrogging with spatially coupled innovation systems: The case of onsite wastewater treatment in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 155-171.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:156:y:2021:i:c:s0301421521002883. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.