The survey shows that the Swedish population in general is very positive about regulating plastics in various ways. Some differences are observed, for example, men and people with right-wing sympathies are slightly less positive towards policies that aims at encouraging environmentally friendly behaviour with financial or punitive measures.

An exception is an extended deposit-refund system which regardless of gender or political orientation, meets almost unanimous support among the population despite its financial incentive.

In the long run, the authors believe that issues of reduced use, reuse, sharing and repair must be given a greater space and impact in Swedish politics in order for the use of materials to be more sustainable.

Authors: Karl Holmberg & Sara Persson

Title: Keep plastics on a tight leash: Swedish public opinion on plastic policies

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901123000151