Government Responses

American flags lining a walkway to the US Capitol
Progress

Governments can sanction policies to provide conditions for sustainable consumption. For instance, governments can reduce the barriers for individuals to make sustainable choices. They can provide resources to support adoption and solutions for the SUPs – by banning, restricting, or taxing SUPs or packaging; introducing incentives or requirements for reuse and recycling; and managing their contracting and procurement process towards these purposes (Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme, n.d.).

Laws and social movements are the most effective means of changing consumer behavior on a large scale (Cho, 2018). At least 57 countries have joined the United Nations Environment Clean Seas campaign since 2017 and pledged to cut down their plastic footprint. There is a movement of the world leaders to address the global plastic waste and find solutions. For instance, some countries have banned SUPs, while others have taken the initiative to build more recycling plants (Vuleta, 2022).

Countries worldwide like Bangladesh, Rwanda, China, Taiwan, Macedonia, Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka have totally banned the thin plastic bags given out in stores. Additionally, many European Union countries impose a fee on plastic bags (Cho, 2018).

In 2017, Kenya proposed a law prohibiting plastic bags in the country. With this law, Kenya inspired some other countries to ban the use of plastics as well. In Kenya, anyone caught violating this law would face jail time for up to four years in addition to paying a penalty of $40,000. Further, countries such as France, China, Italy, and Rwanda have partially banned or imposed taxes on SUP bags (Vuleta, 2022). In 2019, the United Kingdom has proposed a ban on all SUPs, including straws and cotton swabs (Cho, 2018).

The U.S. Department of Interior is phasing out SUP products. The 15 towns that make up Cape Cod banned the sale of bottled water on municipal property, as did Santa Cruz county. Lake County, Michigan also banned the use of SUPs. New York city is ending “unnecessary” SUPs. New York state ordered a bottled water procurement ban (Cho, 2018).