Plastic pollution is ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Plastic waste exposed to the environment creates problems and is of significant concern for all life forms. Plastic production and accumulation in the natural environment are occurring at an unprecedented rate due to indiscriminate use, inadequate recycling, and deposits in landfills. In 2019, the global production of plastic was at 370 million tons, with only 9% of it being recycled, 12% being incinerated, and the remaining left in the environment or landfills. The leakage of plastic wastes into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is occurring at an unprecedented rate. The management of plastic waste is a challenging problem for researchers, policymakers, citizens, and other stakeholders. Therefore, here, we summarize the current understanding and concerns of plastics pollution (microplastics or nanoplastics) on natural ecosystems. The overall goal of this review is to provide background assessment on the adverse effects of plastic pollution on natural ecosystems; interlink the management of plastic pollution with sustainable development goals; address the policy initiatives under transdisciplinary approaches through life cycle assessment, circular economy, and sustainability; identify the knowledge gaps; and provide current policy recommendations. Plastic waste management through community involvement and socio-economic inputs in different countries are presented and discussed. Plastic ban policies and public awareness are likely the major mitigation interventions. The need for life cycle assessment and circularity to assess the potential environmental impacts and resources used throughout a plastic product’s life span is emphasized. Innovations are needed to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover plastics and find eco-friendly replacements for plastics. Empowering and educating communities and citizens to act collectively to minimize plastic pollution and use alternative options for plastics must be promoted and enforced. Plastic pollution is a global concern that must be addressed collectively with the utmost priority.

Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Ecosystem Services, Sustainable Development Goals, and Need to Focus on Circular Economy and Policy Interventions

While plastics play an important role in the safety, shelf-life, and affordability of many foods, their mismanagement as waste presents a serious environmental problem. In 2019, governments in Canada and globally were poised to take legislative action to curb the use of single-use plastics, with strong public support. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has since disrupted those initiatives as well as the public sentiment underlying them. The aim of our study is to measure changes in Canadian consumers' attitudes toward single-use plastic food packaging, from Summer 2019 to Summer 2020. The methodology relies on two, representative surveys of the Canadian population, carried out in May 2019 (n = 1,094) and in June 2020 (n = 977). Our measures explored potential impacts on consumer perceptions, driven both by new food safety concerns during the pandemic and also by increased price consciousness during a time of economic recession. We found that 55% of respondents were more concerned about food safety since COVID-19, and that 50% of respondents had become more price conscious when buying groceries. However, we found only a slight decline in motivation to reduce plastics - though with a sharper reduction among males. A stronger shift was seen in attitudes towards policy, where our results show a clear decline in support for tighter regulations or bans on single-use plastics, along with an increase in consumers' willingness to pay for biodegradable alternatives. These findings suggest a more difficult road ahead for legislative approaches, but also potential opportunities for market-based strategies and innovations in the food sector.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ijcs.12691

Food Packaging During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Consumer Perceptions

Novel biopolymer-based sustainable composites for food packaging applications: A narrative review

This research uncovers the impact of a multi-faceted crisis on consumers? immediate shopping behaviors, short-term financial spending, and long-term shopping and spending responses. This longitudinal study adopts a future studies approach to expose consumers? current experiences, expectations of the future, and realized future experiences to understand a pandemic?s impact on consumers? collective shopping and spending behaviors. Data were collected at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during its peak, and as restrictions were being lifted. Findings reveal that consumers adapt their shopping and spending behavior through a crisis in response to constantly shifting environmental stimuli. Consumers moved from fear to frugality and then followed one of two paths ? maintaining new crisis-induced behaviors or, more often, returning to prior familiar consumption behaviors. Retailers and service providers must understand these responses to be able to serve both groups during and after a crisis.

Crisis-Induced Behavior: From Fear and Frugality to the Familiar

The spike in COVID-19 cases all over the world poses a massive impact on various sectors of society. The global economy is no exception, for it has been severely affected by the unprecedented public health crisis leading businesspeople to shutdown commercial establishments and dramatically shifting businesses into digital platforms. Immense challenges brought by the pandemic have turned into great opportunities among entrepreneurs from different parts of the globe. In pursuit of the recovery path, they considered digital tools to be instrumental to surviving the crisis and even thriving in the long term. This study explores drivers and barriers to digital innovations in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during economic disruptions from the perspective of Filipino young entrepreneurs. Researchers employed a qualitative method for the conduct of in-depth interviews with 46 online entrepreneurs in the Philippines and transcribed them for Inductive Content Analysis to generate themes. Results found the adverse effects of the pandemic, which reinforce entrepreneurial innovations of shifting businesses to digital platforms, categorized into intrinsic (e.g., personal and professional growth) and extrinsic (e.g., mobility restrictions, market conditions, and household economic status) motivations. Participants described the barriers to digital entrepreneurship, including skills needed for doing online business, market-related problems in digital platforms, availability of quality internet infrastructures, and the pandemic restrictions. The findings of this study contribute to the entrepreneurship literature and areas for an empirical investigation to develop programs that support entrepreneurs during economic disruptions. This would serve as a guidepost in the formulation of government policies and strategies for economic recovery through digital entrepreneurship while considering the perspectives of young entrepreneurs. This further recommends future related researches to empower entrepreneurs, particularly those in the developing economies during the pandemic and beyond.

/pdf/digital-innovations-in-msmes-during-economic-disruptions-3s2i29y3.pdf

Digital Innovations in MSMEs during Economic Disruptions: Experiences and Challenges of Young Entrepreneurs

The lack of academic attention that home food gardening has received in Canada and the United States is surprising, given the many demonstrated benefits of community gardening programs, including increased community cohesion and resilience. The aim of the exploratory study is to explore the current surge in home food gardening and its relationship to the COVID-19 pandemic. A national survey was conducted, consisting of 43 main questions, asking respondents about their home life and food provisioning during COVID-19, the physical characteristics of their food gardens, and their attitudes and beliefs concerning home food production. Survey results show that 51% of respondents grow at least one type of fruit or vegetable in a home garden. Of those, 17.4% started growing food at home in 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic. To gain more insight into just how significant a cause the pandemic lockdown was on home food gardening, follow-up surveys and policy recommendations are suggested.

Home Food Gardening in Canada in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Single-use plastic food packaging is a major contributor to the global solid waste problem. Although the food industry is developing strategies to reduce single-use plastic packaging, it needs to better understand consumer awareness and attitudes about the issue. As consumer awareness about single-use plastic waste outpaces private sector practices, this study considered personal motivation factors, government policies, and innovative solutions related to single-use plastic food packaging. This Canada-wide study surveyed 1014 consumers and their willingness to pay premiums for sustainable food packaging alternatives and motivations to reduce single-use plastic waste. Overwhelmingly, most (93.7%) respondents were personally motivated to reduce consumption of single-use plastic food packaging. Canadians were highly motivated to reduce single-use plastic food packaging, but less willing to pay for sustainable alternatives. While environmental concerns were more critical than food safety, Canadians acknowledged that sustainable packaging alternatives were more desirable than outright plastic bag bans, despite not willing to pay for them. Using approaches that consider multiple driving factors on consumer behavior and opinions towards use of single-use plastic food packaging, limitations, recommendations and future research are proposed.

/pdf/single-use-plastic-packaging-in-the-canadian-food-industry-57o7ge9xv6.pdf

Single-use plastic packaging in the Canadian food industry: consumer behavior and perceptions

Pandemic Victory Gardens: Potential for local land use policies

Background Canada is one of the few countries in the world to have legalized Cannabis. Cannabis was legalized in October 2018, but not cannabis-infused food products, also known as edibles. These products will be legalized by October 2019. This study examines how consumers view the legalization of cannabis-infused food products, when cannabis became legal, but not yet edible. Scope and approach The study measured the perceptions on legalization, stigma, health risks and food safety on edibles. Underscored by this study is the growing uncertainty among most demographics, which suggests perhaps that public regulators have not connected well with the public when it comes to the food safety of edibles. Key Findings and Conclusions: Results show that while Canadians are ambivalent about social and public stigma, many remain concerned about inherent risks involved when consuming edibles. Concerns towards children and pets are also quite acute. Long term cannabis users are concerned about price and are still purchasing from old suppliers, which suggests that newly developed public distribution channels have been shunned to a certain degree. This study points to the need of more future evaluations of food safety measures and risk perception related to cannabis-infused food products.

Janet Music

Papers

Food Packaging During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Consumer Perceptions

Home Food Gardening in Canada in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Single-use plastic packaging in the Canadian food industry: consumer behavior and perceptions

Pandemic Victory Gardens: Potential for local land use policies

Edibles and Canadian consumers’ willingness to consider recreational cannabis in food or beverage products: A second assessment