Waste Package Research Articles

Evolutionary game analysis of government subsidies for reusable express packaging promotion

The increase in e-commerce and online shopping has resulted in a significant amount of packaging waste from express delivery, posing a considerable burden on the environment. To address this issue, reusable express packaging has emerged as one of potential solutions to reduce packaging waste in express delivery. This study analyzes the evolutionary stability strategy of local governments and express delivery enterprises by constructing an evolutionary game model. The model considers the limited rationality and group behavior of decision makers, as well as the economies of scale and diseconomies of scale in operating cost of reusable express packaging. Results indicate that the variability in the cost of reusable express packaging may lead to the simultaneous emergence of two evolutionary stability strategies, contrasting traditional evolutionary game studies. Due to the present low uptake of reusable express packaging among express companies, coupled with the lack of subsidies support from local governments, it is difficult to attain the optimal situation in which businesses actively utilize reusable express packaging. To accomplish this objective, it is crucial to establish subsidy amounts that are balanced and reasonable, rather than merely elevating them to the highest possible levels. The study proposes an optimal range for government subsidy levels and gives corresponding policy suggestions.

Preparation of high-value carbon nanotubes from real waste plastic towards the negative carbon technology

The preparation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from plastics is of great significance for realizing high value utilization of waste and reducing carbon emission. Here, several kinds of real waste plastics were introduced into catalytic pyrolysis, and the process was also optimized. The results showed that the presence of impurities (e.g., adhesive labels) reduced the initial activation energy of the pyrolysis reaction, and the pyrolysis process was extended and could be divided into two stages. During the catalytic process, impurities play a toxic role on the catalyst at higher temperatures and result in the agglomeration of catalyst particles and a decrease in catalytic activity. Less than 10 wt.% carbon fibers were collected from milk cup waste. However, after experimental optimization, the influence of the impurity component was greatly reduced. The toxic effect of organic impurity volatiles on a catalyst was avoided by employing a segmented catalytic pyrolysis process, which led to an increase in solid carbon content of more than 20 % for express package waste. Simultaneously, more uniform and smoother CNTs can be found in the obtained solid carbon. The process of preparing carbon nanotubes with higher yield and better quality is feasible and has important application prospects in the utilization of waste plastics.

Author Correction: Effect of ecoliteracy on farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste governance behavior in rural North China

Author Correction: Effect of ecoliteracy on farmers’ participation in pesticide packaging waste governance behavior in rural North China

Developing A Conceptual Model of Factors Influencing Express Delivery Packaging Recycling Behaviors of E-Commerce Enterprises in China

The rapid growth of the e-commerce industry has led to a significant increase in express delivery service volumes, resulting in substantial environmental pollution and resource depletion from express delivery packaging (EDP) waste. Recycling express delivery packaging (EDPR) has become a critical global concern, particularly in China, the largest contributor to EDP waste for decades. Despite numerous government regulations aimed at promoting recycling behavior to support carbon peaking and neutrality targets, China’s recycling rate remains low, at just 25%-30%, compared to rates as high as 65% in EU countries, with some exceeding 80%. Drawing on Structuration Theory (ST), this study posits that the authority effect positively influences the recycling behavior of e-commerce organizations. It also examines the mediating role of recycling intention in the relationship between authority effect and recycling behavior and the moderating role of social sanction on recycling intention and behavior. This research aims to develop a comprehensive model for understanding the factors influencing EDPR and offers valuable insights from an organizational perspective. The findings will guide future empirical studies and help policymakers devise more effective strategies by understanding the impacts of authority and social sanction on recycling behavior.

Conflicting Consumer Beliefs Influencing Eco‐Innovation Adoption: Motives and Barriers for Accepting the Laser Marking of Organic Products

ABSTRACTIn response to regulatory requirements and consumer demand for sustainable products, producers of organic products are beginning to use laser marking to reduce packaging and, thereby, packaging waste. However, the consumer responses to this “high‐tech” eco‐innovation remain unexplored. Using a mixed‐method approach, we collected qualitative and quantitative data on responses to the laser marking of organic products from 328 French participants. Guided by the theory of consumption values and innovation resistance theory, we conducted a thematic analysis of answers to an open‐ended question which probed consumers' motives for and barriers to adopting laser marking. The most frequently stated motive was ecological benefits, and the most reported barriers were risks and tradition. Structural equation modeling revealed that attitudes toward laser‐marked organic products are positively impacted by social, emotional, and functional values and are negatively impacted by barriers related to images and emotions. Consumers' attitudes toward laser‐marked organic products strongly affect their willingness to buy such products. To increase the acceptance of laser marking, managers and policymakers should mitigate false‐negative consumer perceptions, including doubts about its eco‐friendliness and safety, thereby facilitating greater acceptance of this eco‐innovation.

Fresh produce on the loose: examining the coherence between plastic packaging and food waste policy using the case study of fruit and vegetables in the UK

Fresh produce on the loose: examining the coherence between plastic packaging and food waste policy using the case study of fruit and vegetables in the UK

The Antecedents of Recycling Behaviour Among Online Consumers Concerning E-Commerce Packaging Waste

The increasing proliferation of e-commerce has resulted in a significant rise in packaging waste, which poses numerous environmental challenges that necessitate urgent attention. Understanding the factors driving consumers’ recycling behaviour is crucial to developing effective strategies to mitigate the environmental impact. The current study aims to examine the antecedents of recycling behaviour among Malaysian online consumers concerning e-commerce packaging waste by applying the Cognitive-Affective-Behavioural model. Empirical data were collected from 339 Malaysian university students. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was subsequently employed to test the proposed model. The SEM results confirmed that environmental knowledge directly and positively influenced recycling behaviour. Environmental concern and attitude served as serial mediators, which sequentially delineated the indirect relationship. The present study advanced the existing literature on recycling behaviour by implementing robust approaches to statistically examining the impacts and interrelationships of the key constructs influencing recycling behaviour among online consumers concerning e-commerce packaging waste.

Green Disposable Packaging and Communication: The Implications of Bring-Your-Own-Container

Problem definition: A growing number of firms are encouraging consumers to participate in “bring-your-own-container” (BYOC) behavior in which consumers bring their own reusable packaging to purchase and consume products, thus reducing single-use packaging waste. In this paper, we study the environmental implications of a firm’s BYOC implementation when considering its disposable packaging choice and communication strategy. Methodology/results: We build a stylized model to study a firm’s joint decisions on BYOC, disposable packaging choice, and communication and their implications on the environment. Our main results follow. First, allowing BYOC reduces the firm’s incentive to make fraudulent green claims about its disposable product packaging; however, BYOC implementation may harm the overall environment while improving the firm’s profit, thereby creating a new form of greenwashing. Second, the adoption of third-party certification for green disposable packaging is an effective remedy to mitigate the negative environmental impact of BYOC. In addition, the environmental implications of adopting third-party certification (either voluntarily or because of government mandates) depend on the relationship between the environmental qualities of green disposable packaging and reusable packaging. Whereas it always benefits the environment when the firm’s green disposable packaging has better environmental performance, adopting certification may negatively impact the environment if consumers’ reusable packaging is greener. Furthermore, we find numerically that offering a price discount for BYOC may encourage the firm to adopt certification because of increased profitability, thereby leading to the aforementioned environmental implications. Managerial implications: We offer operational insights on how firms should make joint decisions on BYOC, disposable packaging choice, and communication. We also generate insights on how governments should regulate firms’ green claims when firms start to allow BYOC. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0605 .

Substitution or complementary effects: The impact of neighborhood effects and policy interventions on farmers’ pesticide packaging waste recycling behavior

Substitution or complementary effects: The impact of neighborhood effects and policy interventions on farmers’ pesticide packaging waste recycling behavior

Food packaging technology considerations for designers: Attending to food, consumer, manufacturer, and environmental issues.

Food packaging is essential for preserving food safety and quality while also addressing environmental concerns. Designers are at the forefront of developing packaging solutions that not only meet functional requirements but also align with evolving consumer preferences and sustainability concerns. To inform designers, this paper discusses fundamental principles of food packaging technology, encompassing aspects such as food preservation, distribution, marketing, usability, and disposal. It provides examples of innovations in active and smart packaging, nanotechnology, material biodegradability, and recyclability, as well as strategies to reduce packaging waste. By providing future food packaging designers with this essential knowledge and these insights, we hope to encourage them to contribute to future innovations that meet the needs of consumers and the environment.

Fuzzy Logic Based Qualitative Indicators for Promoting Extended Producer Responsibility and Sustainable Food Packaging Waste Management

Fuzzy Logic Based Qualitative Indicators for Promoting Extended Producer Responsibility and Sustainable Food Packaging Waste Management

The Factors Influencing the Recycling of Plastic and Composite Packaging Waste

The Factors Influencing the Recycling of Plastic and Composite Packaging Waste

Recycling packaging waste from residual waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Recycling packaging waste from residual waste can help alleviate resource pressure. However, its environmental and economic benefits remain uncertain, which hinders the widespread application of packaging waste recycling. This study assessed the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, environmental impacts, and external costs of a government-recommended technology for recycling packaging waste by applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and ChintaxRCP model. The results showed that packaging waste recycling reduced GHG emissions by an average of 348.1 kg CO2-eq/t residual waste, and external costs by 376.7 €/t residual waste, due to the decrease in incineration. If all packaging waste in residual waste is recycled, over 60% of the total GHG emissions and about 80% of the external costs of residual waste management can be avoided. Moreover, sensitivity analysis indicated that the content of paper and plastic had a significant impact on the environmental impacts of residual waste management. This study demonstrates that recycling packaging waste instead of incineration can bring environmental and economic benefits in the long run. The study provides quantitative evidence to support policies for waste management and increases confidence in the utilization of low-value recyclables for the government.

Green Logistics 5.0: a review of sustainability-oriented innovation with foundation models in logistics

PurposeThe paper uses foundation models to integrate the green approach in Logistics 5.0. Such integration is innovative in logistics and leads to a more sustainable and prosperous future. By harnessing the power of foundation models and incorporating sustainable principles, this paper can systematize the logistics industry’s environmental framework, increase its social responsibility and ensure its long-term economic viability.Design/methodology/approachGeneralizing environmental sustainability goals requires a multi-layered innovation approach incorporating corporate philosophy, products, processes and business models. In this paper, this comprehensive approach is not just a strategy but a necessity in the current global context. This paper uses the sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) method, crucial for achieving explicit environmental, social and economic impacts.FindingsArtificial intelligence, especially foundation models, can contribute to green logistics by optimizing routes, reducing packaging waste, improving warehouse layouts and other functions presented in the paper. At the same time, they can also consider social, economic and governance goals.Research limitations/implicationsArtificial intelligence algorithms present challenges such as high initial investment, regulatory compliance and technological integration.Practical implicationsThe paper contains implications for developing environmentally sustainable logistics, which is currently one of the most significant challenges. The framework presented can apply to logistics companies.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to study sustainability in logistics. The framework is entirely original and not present in the literature. It is essential to help design and implement innovative logistics approaches.

Optimal Conversion of Food Packaging Waste to Liquid Fuel via Nonthermal Plasma Treatment: A Model-Centric Approach.

The efficiency of employing a multifactorial approach to enhance the nonthermal plasma (NTP) chemical conversion of solid waste food packaging materials into liquid petroleum hydrocarbons was assessed for the first time in this study. The researchers adopted a hybrid approach which integrated the zero-dimensional (0-D) and response surface model (RSM) techniques. After their application, the researchers noted that these strategies significantly enhanced the model prediction owing to their accurate electrochemical description. Here, the researchers solved a set of equations to identify the optimisation dynamics. They also established experimental circumstances to determine the quantitative correlation among all process variables contributing to food plastic packaging waste degradation and the production of liquid fuels. The findings of the study indicate a good agreement between the numerical and experimental values. It was also noted that the electrical variables of NTP significantly influenced the conversion yield (Yconv%) of solid plastic packaging waste to liquid hydrocarbons. Similarly, after analysing the data, it was seen that factors like the power discharge rate (x1 ), discharge interval (x2), power frequency (x3), and power intensity (x4) could significantly affect the product yield. After optimizing the variables, the researchers observed a maximal Yconv% of approximately 86%. The findings revealed that the proposed framework could effectively scale up the plasma synergistic pyrolysis technology for obtaining the highest Yconv% of solid packaging plastic wastes to produce an aromatics-enriched oil. The researchers subsequently employed the precision of the constructed framework to upgrade the laboratory-scale procedures to industrial-scale processes, which showed more than 95% efficiency. The extracted oil showed a calorific value of 43,570.5 J/g, indicating that the liquid hydrocarbons exhibited properties similar to commercial diesel.

Scheduling of e-commerce packaging machines: blocking machines and their impact on the performance–waste tradeoff

AbstractTo streamline their fulfillment processes, many e-commerce retailers today use automated packaging machines for their outbound parcels. An important performance–waste tradeoff is associated with these machines: To reduce packaging waste when handling different sized goods, packaging machines should be able to handle different carton sizes. However, more carton sizes lead to a more involved scheduling process, so that the throughput performance deteriorates (and vice versa). To investigate this tradeoff, this paper develops scheduling procedures for a specific type of packaging machine, called blocking machines. These packaging machines provide multiple back-to-back packaging devices, each continuously processing a dedicated carton size, but blocking each other whenever incoming goods are not properly ordered according to carton sizes on the infeed conveyor. To reduce the resulting throughput loss, we derive various scheduling problems for optimizing the inflow of goods, provide a thorough analysis of the computational complexity, and derive an exact dynamic programming approach that is polynomial in the number of orders to be packed. This allows us to solve even large real-world instances to proven optimality with which we can analyze the performance–waste tradeoff of blocking machines.

An Innovative Approach to Closing the Loop in a Circular Plastic Economy by Upcycling Single-Use Post-consumer Thin Film Plastic Packaging Waste into Durable Plastic Products

AbstractThe waste system requires a circular economy business solution to upcycle millions of tonnes of contaminated post-consumer single-use multi-material, multilayer, plastic packaging films/foils. This waste is rarely collected for recycling, firstly because the market for such waste is new and very small, and secondly due to technical issues and cross-contamination at waste recycling facilities. Conventionally, two linear disposal routs exist, energy recovery through incineration or landfill, both having an economic cost. Being very lightweight, plastics are blown around and end up contaminating terrestrial and marine environments. This paper evaluates intrusion extrusion moulding technology with agglomeration to make products. With a 50-year first lifespan and nine more life cycles, they can be used multiple times as a substitute for wood and concrete. Public bodies can catalyse the intrusion extrusion moulding manufacturing industry by including such products during their procurement processes. The technology works and the business can be profitable.

Enhancing food sustainability in the acute hospital setting - a nurse-led study of patient food.

Intensive global food production causes soil, water and air pollution, which has a negative impact on our health and future ability to produce sufficient nutritious food. Plant-based diets have the potential to reduce the environmental damage associated with the global food chain. The project sought to understand drivers of food waste and to improve food sustainability in a busy, tertiary referral hospital in England. Ward-level food waste was quantified. Qualitative data were collected using informal interviews with staff and additional data utilised the patient feedback survey. Ward-level food packaging waste and patient food choices were quantified using data on patient menu choices. The carbon footprint of patient food choices was calculated. Beef was the most popular menu choice, and was the main contributing factor to the high environmental impact of the hospital food chain. Increasing the visibility of vegetarian options on the menu led to a four-fold rise in these meals being chosen, which reduced the carbon footprint of the patient meal service. Recycling food packaging was also started, but there are challenges to widespread implementation. The project was successful, but it remains a starting point from which to increase food sustainability across the NHS and care sector catering provision.

A computational framework to support probabilistic criticality modelling for the geological disposal of radioactive waste

Nuclear Waste Services is tasked with disposal of the UK’s higher-activity radioactive waste in a Geological Disposal Facility. The disposal of fissile nuclides requires a demonstration that there is no significant concern from criticality, i.e. a fission chain reaction. While waste packages will initially be emplaced in a subcritical configuration, over the long timescales following closure there is potential for waste packages to degrade and for nuclides to be dispersed in the subsurface by groundwater, leading to the potential for a critical system forming. To facilitate modelling, a codebase has been developed which interfaces a probabilistic simulation tool (GoldSim) with a neutron transport code (MONK/MCNP). This allows large ensemble simulations to be run iteratively to determine limiting fissile masses which satisfy a criticality safety criterion. This paper documents the main algorithms and methodologies implemented within this framework, and provides background and example results illustrating the application to post-closure criticality modelling.

Potential of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in a circular economy from a life cycle assessment perspective - a case study for anaesthesia and surgical instrument packaging waste in Australia

Plastics are a versatile material group with many applications in the healthcare sector. Clinicians, particularly in the operating rooms, have become increasingly dependent on single-use instruments and consumables typically packaged in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resulting in significant amounts of PET waste. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology based on ISO 14040/44 is conducted to assess the environmental impacts of existing and potential future end-of-life options for PET anaesthesia and surgical instrument packaging waste in an Australian hospital context. The results show the reduction potential of environmental impacts by recycling of PET waste via direct collection or in Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand. When replacing end-of-life options such as landfill or incineration with recycling, a reduction of 88% of total Climate Change (CC) impact can be seen. Furthermore, there is a reduction in environmental impacts across other impact categories through this change. Even if the recyclate quality (up to 30%) was reduced, there is a significant reduction in the environmental impacts. The transition of end-of-life options to recycling offers the potential for reduction of emissions and enables a circular economy for plastics. Furthermore, based on the results of LCA, opportunities and challenges of circular economy pathways in health industry are identified and discussed in this study.