IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i19p8093-d422305.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Regional Response to a Global Problem: Single Use Plastics Regulation in the Countries of the Pacific Alliance

Author

Listed:
  • Adriana Abril Ortiz

    (Department of Space and Population, Universidad of Cuenca, Avenue 12 de Abril, 010203 Cuenca, Ecuador)

  • Dolores Sucozhañay

    (Department of Space and Population, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Cuenca, Avenue 12 de Abril, 010203 Cuenca, Ecuador)

  • Paul Vanegas

    (Department of Space and Population, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Avenue 12 de Abril-Cuenca, 010203 Cuenca, Ecuador)

  • Andrés Martínez-Moscoso

    (Department of Space and Population, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Cuenca, Avenue 12 de Abril, 010203 Cuenca, Ecuador)

Abstract

Unsustainable production and consumption patterns of single use plastics are causing worldwide negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts on land-based and marine ecosystems. Nevertheless, in Latin America, plastics governance is still fragmented across borders because of dispersed normative adoption and limited regional coordination. In this context, the instrumental level of articulation between the international principles of environmental law and the formal legal arrangements from the Pacific Alliance countries is assessed to analyze how this strategic platform can contribute to offering a regional response to the global problem of single use plastics. For this purpose, an illustrative case study of the national and subnational regulation developed by the Pacific Alliance and its members was performed. To this end, a framework analysis was conducted on the official legal documents from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. The results show extensive and scattered subnational regulation to control the consumption of plastic bags and single use plastics, with diverse policies on extended producer responsibility, educational and economic strategies to influence mainly the consumer’s behaviour. Recommendations are presented in order to improve plastics governance in the region through the legal component.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriana Abril Ortiz & Dolores Sucozhañay & Paul Vanegas & Andrés Martínez-Moscoso, 2020. "A Regional Response to a Global Problem: Single Use Plastics Regulation in the Countries of the Pacific Alliance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8093-:d:422305
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8093/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/19/8093/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Bethanie Carney Almroth & Håkan Eggert, 2019. "Marine Plastic Pollution: Sources, Impacts, and Policy Issues," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 13(2), pages 317-326.
    3. Ingrid Boas & Sanneke Kloppenburg & Judith van Leeuwen & Machiel Lamers, 2018. "Environmental Mobilities: An Alternative Lens to Global Environmental Governance," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 18(4), pages 107-126, November.
    4. Laurent Lebreton & Anthony Andrady, 2019. "Future scenarios of global plastic waste generation and disposal," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-11, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Huijie Yan & Mateo Cordier & Takuro Uehara, 2024. "Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Rumana Hossain & Md Tasbirul Islam & Riya Shanker & Debishree Khan & Katherine Elizabeth Sarah Locock & Anirban Ghose & Heinz Schandl & Rita Dhodapkar & Veena Sahajwalla, 2022. "Plastic Waste Management in India: Challenges, Opportunities, and Roadmap for Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-34, April.
    3. Jiang, Yuchen & Li, Xianglin & Li, Chao & Zhang, Lijun & Zhang, Shu & Li, Bin & Wang, Shuang & Hu, Xun, 2022. "Pyrolysis of typical plastics and coupled with steam reforming of their derived volatiles for simultaneous production of hydrogen-rich gases and heavy organics," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 476-491.
    4. Kenji Takeuchi & Raymond Gradus, 2025. "Challenges and prospects in managing plastic waste," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 27(3), pages 353-355, July.
    5. World Bank, 2024. "Unlocking Financing to Combat the Plastics Crisis - Opportunities, Risks, and Recommendations for Plastic Credits," World Bank Publications - Reports 41866, The World Bank Group.
    6. Marion Borderon & Endale Kebede & Patrick Sakdapolrak & Raffaella Pagogna & Raya Muttarak & Eva Sporer, 2019. "Migration influenced by environmental change in Africa: A systematic review of empirical evidence," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(18), pages 491-544.
    7. Abhinay Kumar & Rajan Choudhary & Ankush Kumar, 2021. "Characterization of thermal storage stability of waste plastic pyrolytic char modified asphalt binders with sulfur," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-27, March.
    8. Evangelos Danopoulos & Maureen Twiddy & Jeanette M Rotchell, 2020. "Microplastic contamination of drinking water: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, July.
    9. Trisia A. Farrelly & Stephanie B. Borrelle & Sascha Fuller, 2021. "The Strengths and Weaknesses of Pacific Islands Plastic Pollution Policy Frameworks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-36, January.
    10. Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak & Tran Hieu & Thong Anh Tran & Yi-Ya Hsu & Tung Nien & Dang Thi Thanh Quynh, 2023. "Climate change adaptation responses and human mobility in the Mekong Delta: local perspectives from rural households in An Giang Province, Vietnam," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    11. Nakayama, Tadanobu & Osako, Masahiro, 2023. "Development of a process-based eco-hydrology model for evaluating the spatio-temporal dynamics of macro- and micro-plastics for the whole of Japan," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 476(C).
    12. Xiaowei Ni & Yongbo Quan, 2023. "Measuring the Sustainable Development of Marine Economy Based on the Entropy Value Method: A Case Study in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Khumbelo Mabadahanye & Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Linton F. Munyai & Farai Dondofema & Tatenda Dalu, 2025. "Perceptions and Knowledge of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Workers Regarding Plastic Pollution and Removal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-13, January.
    14. Xuemeng Zhang & Chao Liu & Yuexi Chen & Guanghong Zheng & Yinguang Chen, 2022. "Source separation, transportation, pretreatment, and valorization of municipal solid waste: a critical review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11471-11513, October.
    15. Duc-Nam Luu & Magali Barbaroux & Gaelle Dorez & Katell Mignot & Estelle Doger & Achille Laurent & Jean-Michel Brossard & Claus-Jürgen Maier, 2022. "Recycling of Post-Use Bioprocessing Plastic Containers—Mechanical Recycling Technical Feasibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-18, November.
    16. Trieu Nguyen, Uyen Nhat & Van Lam, Do & Shim, Hyung Cheoul & Lee, Seung-Mo, 2021. "Leaf-derived porous carbon synthesized by carbothermic reduction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 116-123.
    17. Leticia Sarmento dos Muchangos, 2022. "Mapping the Circular Economy Concept and the Global South," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 71-90, March.
    18. Chen Liu & Qiannan Zhuo & Yujiro Ishimura & Yasuhiko Hotta & Chika Aoki-Suzuki & Atsushi Watabe, 2025. "Regional Insights on the Usage of Single-Use Plastics and Their Disposal in Five Asian Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-29, May.
    19. Tobias Börger & Nick Hanley & Robert J. Johnston & Keila Meginnis & Tom Ndebele & Ghamz E. Ali Siyal & Frans de Vries, 2024. "Equity preferences and abatement cost sharing in international environmental agreements," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 106(1), pages 416-441, January.
    20. Zhuxuan Yan & Juliann Cortese, 2023. "I Can Feel Your Pain: Investigating the Role of Empathy and Guilt on Sustainable Behavioral Intentions to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Plastic Bags among College Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8093-:d:422305. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.