Barriers in the adoption of buyback schemes for used plastic packaging material – a contextual relationship analysis

Abstract

The prescribed buyback schemes as a part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) of companies are believed to be an effective practice to eliminate the landfill of packaging materials. The coercive measures include the reuse and recycling of plastic packaging material. The lack of awareness, motivation, concern and enforcement of rules are major concerns of the government in implementing the buyback schemes of plastic wastes in developing economies. In the present study, 11 barriers are identified and defined through an extensive literature review. The total interpretive structural modeling method (TISM) and MICMAC analysis are used for examining the interrelationship between the barriers by utilizing experts’ opinions. A contextual relationship-based structural model is developed by considering the direct relationships and transitivity links. The contextual model helps in identifying the influential barriers. Further, the MICMAC analysis segregates the barriers into four based on their dependence and driving influence. The result of this study indicates that the unclear and unstable policy is the most influential barrier which prevents the adoption of a buyback scheme for used plastic packaging material. The study further reveals that consumer motivation is the least influential and most dependent barrier which could be improved by establishing the infrastructure and minimizing the difficulty in availing the scheme.