Plastics and the coronavirus pandemic: a behavioral science perspective
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Plastics and the coronavirus pandemic: a behavioral science perspective Fadi Makki1 · Anna Lamb1 · Rouba Moukaddem2 Received: 21 July 2020 / Accepted: 30 September 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract With the coronavirus outbreak, new and strengthened norms of plastic dependency emerged in the Middle East and North Africa region through the desperate demand for products like face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), highlighting the tradeoffs between health and the environment. While the rise in demand has been considered as temporary, behavioral barriers and misperceptions might make these norms particularly sticky and hinder society’s ability to transition to a circular economy. Fortunately, behavioral science offers valuable insights about why the current pandemic can actually be a catalyst to create new eco-conscious behaviors. As some behaviors are often strenuous to change and require enforcement through traditional policy solutions (e.g. regulations), behavioral science offers complementary tools that will make policies more effective. We have an opportunity to start thinking about ways to leverage behavioral insights to create new norms that promote a circular economy while ultimately ensuring proper adherence to hygiene practices to curb the spread of the virus. Keywords COVID-19 · Single-use plastics · Social norms · Middle East & North Africa · Circular economy · Pro-environmental behaviors · Nudges · Messenger effect · Defaults · Salience · Behavioral science While governments are focused on curbing the spread of COVID-19, the current pandemic has demonstrated the world’s enduring reliance on single-use plastics and the related tradeoffs between health and the environment. Public health guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the increase in food delivery * Anna Lamb [email protected] Fadi Makki [email protected] 1
B4Development, Doha, Qatar
2
Nudge Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanon
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services, combined with the perception that reusable products are unhygienic, have led to a remarkable increase in plastic production and a strengthened norm of plastic dependency. Although the spike in demand has been labeled “temporary”, behavioral barriers might make this norm particularly sticky and further hinder efforts to transition to a circular economy in the long run (Kaufman 2020). The good news is however, that behavioral science offers valuable insights about why the current pandemic can actually be an opportunity to create new eco-conscious behaviors— in fact, we have begun witnessing some of these initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa. The world undoubtedly relied on plastic prior to the pandemic. Behavioral science tells us that people prefer things to be easy and simple, which is one reason the low-cost convenience of plastic has fueled our dependency over the last century, evidenced by the estimated production of 9.2 billion tons of plastic between 1950 and 2017 (Parker 2018). Howeve
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