Dear Lukas,

The current global socioeconomic crisis caused by the development of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic (causing Covid-19 disease) should significantly change the pro-ecological awareness of people and the need to implement sustainable development into economic processes and the daily functioning of people. A lot of scientific data from climatologists' research indicates that the global warming process has entered a strong upward trend and perhaps humanity has little influence on the change in the pace of this process. However, regardless of this, we should do everything we can regarding the implementation of the principles of sustainable ecological development, including the necessary ecological reforms, primarily in the energy sector by developing renewable energy sources, electromobility, development of organic farming, improving waste segregation techniques, recycling, etc. In my opinion sustainable proecological economic development conducted in accordance with the green economy philosophy, financed by green finance etc. is a new idea whose significance should grow in the future and be the main idea of ​​the development of civilization in the 21st century. In connection with the above, maybe the global sustainable development policy will be strengthened. Occurring epidemics of this type remind us of how small he is against the forces and laws of nature. Perhaps the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic causing Covid-19 disease will also force a person to consider this issue. One of the consequences of a pandemic is that man remembers that he is just one of the millions of different life forms that have operated for millions of years on planet Earth in the balance of cooperating many species of life forms, including flora, fauna, fungi and microorganisms with natural ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years. Perhaps in the coming years man will apply the principles of sustainable, pro-ecological development to a greater extent. Maybe we don't know that yet. Everything will be explained in the future. Currently, due to the development of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic causing Covid-19 disease, industrial production has fallen significantly in many places around the world due to falling demand and home quarantine. Consequently, environmental pollution has decreased in these regions of the world and greenhouse gas emissions have decreased. Perhaps the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus epidemic will increase the significance and discussion on the protection of natural biodiversity, maintaining balance in nature, nature protection and the need to implement sustainable development principles to limit and slow down adverse climate change processes. In view of the above, in my opinion, the processes of implementing sustainable development principles should be developed in accordance with the concept of circular and / or green economy. By increasing the scope of implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development, activities related to nature protection, protection of natural biological ecosystems, protection of terrestrial biodiversity and its preservation for subsequent generations can be improved according to the concept of circular and / or green economy. In connection with the increasingly appearing weather anomalies, the progressing global warming process, adverse effects of climate change (drought, floods) and crises caused by natural factors (epidemics), increasing environmental pollution, the need and need to implement the principles of sustainable, pro-ecological development in economic processes is growing in accordance with the concept of circular economy and / or green economy. Perhaps the development of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic SARS-CoV-2 causing Covid-19 disease will change the thinking of man about the importance of ecology, sustainable development of civilization, including the need to develop civilization according to the concept of circular economy and green economy. Therefore, after the era of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic, there may be an increase in the scale of implementation of the principles of sustainable, pro-ecological development conducted according to the concept of circular economy and green economy. If this were the adverse side effects of the development of civilization to date, such as the pollution of the natural environment in recent years, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the accelerating global warming process, more and more frequently occurring weather anomalies (drought, floods) and their adverse effects (drought, fires) perhaps they will decrease, adverse processes and effects will be limited. The above-mentioned ecological reforms implemented in accordance with the green economy philosophy are necessary to at least partially slow down the global warming process. We owe it to next generations, we owe it to our children and grandchildren. One of the key elements and goals of the circular economy and / or green economy concept, i.e. primarily the implementation of pro-ecological reforms involving the implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological economic development, is nature protection, protection of natural biological ecosystems, protection of terrestrial biodiversity and its preservation for future generations. If the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic causing Covid-19 disease causes a change in people's thinking of appreciating the high level of importance of sustainable development, pro-ecological reforms and a return to balance in nature, it may be that national environmental policies and World Sustainable Development Policy can also increase its importance and scale of future development. Plastic waste has been a particularly important, rapidly growing problem of environmental pollution in recent years. The problem grows because the amount of plastic waste that is hardly biodegradable or practically non-biodegradable if most of these materials break down after a few hundred years. In recent years, the amount of plastic materials used in various types of packaging has increased rapidly. In some countries, recommendations or regulations are already being taken to restrict the use of plastic for packaging and to replace it with biodegradable materials, e.g. made from certain agricultural products. In the European Union, the use of plastic in packaging is allowed by 2021. It is an important system activity, which aims to mobilize industry to apply specific activities, environmental reforms, activate research institutes dealing with material technologies to create biodegradable substitutes replacing plastic packaging and ecological innovations enabling the economic application of these pro-ecological activities. Therefore, it is an important systemic element of implementing the principles of sustainable development and another step towards the development of green economy / circular economy.

Greetings,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

Believing that a pandemic results in real changes in the plastic packaging industry.

Well my take is that the covid-19 pandemic has had effects on the plastic packaging state. On one hand, there is a high preference to do deliveries that require packaging. However, with the lockdown i think the demand for packaged deliveries especially those related to cooked food have reduced. The ability to process waste such as sorting at collection points, transporting to filling sites, and even reuse and recycle has been reduced while the generation rates particularly for organic waste has increased. As for publications I have not seen any focusing on the issues you are raising though they are interesting research opportunities

@Lukas Sattlegger

Pretending to believe that an outbreak leads to immediate improvements in the plastics packaging.

From what I have observed in these past months, the usage of plastic has only increased. Now everyone needs to feel safe and protected, so they use plastic gloves, plastic bags (extra compared to before) so they can throw them away once they get home. In Spain, In Barcelona more specifically, there was a pretty intense movement to decrease the usage of plastic, use more material bags and their own, homemade, carry on, but now, due to this constant fear of being infected, people have returned to one-time use of plastic.

Even the ones who still use fabric to make masks, they wash things more often, so more water is being consumed than before.

If we touch electricity and water consumption, the numbers have increased, month by month, by a lot. Before we used to be at home for 2-3h, besides sleep, and the consumption was much more responsible. Now, we are home every minute of every day, so water is being consumed, more than necessary. electricity is always on, we have laptops, monitors, fridge, 2-3 phones charging every day etc.

Are their windows of opportunity for a sustainable transformation towards waste reduction? I am sure they are, we just need to be willing to find them. Remember that the Virus is just the latest threat, but the damage we do to the planet is pretty permanent and hard to fix. We really need to find another way to protect ourselves without this plastic increase.

I dont know much about this area but i would assume that from the educational capaigns being conducted and what i see in hospitals, the use of disposable items and plastic must have shot upvery significantly. I would imagine that the survival 'instinct' would aslo influence people who are normally committed towards sustainable consumption, zero waste etc to think that right now, surivival is what is most important and that these things 'can wait'. Once again, i stress that i am not speaking from a position of knowledge or based on numbers, but i would believe that given how far the disposable issue has gone, another few months or possibly a year will not change much. what might be more worrying is the long-term impact of this. it might wipe out the effect of years and years of education and awareness..

I think it is an new topic. The customer may prefer tio buy more covered food because of hygienic aspects. So the corona pandemia may increase the plastic amount in supermarket.

On the other hand more and more people will grow their veggies in the gardens. So this are some ideas, which would be interesting to analyse.

A lot has changed in the waste disposal sector during this time. generation of waste has decreased a lot. Now everything is in our hands. We want to go for plastic packaged materials or not. Yes, in some situation, we have to do it. But we should try to avoid it. Otherwise worse situation will generate as the pandemic is over.

Thanks for all the input! I guess there is both, possibilities for sustainable innovations and risk of fall-backs. It will be interesting to further observe the developments...

Please have a look at the attached document:

The problematic of sustainability is more linked to production than consumption. When we think about plastic waste or any waste we need to think in how this product are made because before of consumption and discart exist the creation of something.

What I'm trying to say is that to think in sustainable innovations and alternatives first we need to think in a global change in the productions form, in the economic, politic and social system because real change in sustainability and pro-environment changes can be achieved only with massive social transformation with a percpective not of domminance but in a new away to be with nature not separate form than but linked in somehow to non-human world. And ofcourse with a more equal society, because poverty is one of the most increase problem in one environmental crisis.

I want to echo the answer of Leandro Porto Marques , that the root of the issue is not consumption, but rather capitalistic production. Waste studies discourse must move beyond discussion of behaviour, to address the root socio-economic causes of waste and wastage.

I have written about this, including in relation to Covid, for those who are interested:

Article TREATING THE SYMPTOM: A MARXIST REFLECTION ON ‘ZERO WASTE’ A...

Article "This is our next problem": Cleaning up from the COVID-19 response

Article Info from the global world-- The source of waste and the end...

Article Waste management in a more unequal world: centring inequalit...