Abstract
Single-use plastics are often used once or cannot be reused for extended periods. They are widely consumed with the rapid development of social economy. The waste generated by single-use plastics threatens ecosystem health by entering the environment and ultimately restricts sustainable human development. The innovation of sustainable and environmentally friendly single-use plastic alternative materials and the joint participation of governments, enterprises and the public are promising technologies and management approaches that can solve the problem of single-use plastics wastes. The development of single-use plastic alternative products can be promoted fundamentally only by improving relevant legislation and standards, providing differentiated industrial policies, encouraging scientific and technological innovation and expanding public participation.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41977030 and 42030704) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2019YFC1906704). We are grateful to the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments which improved the manuscript.
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Tan, W., Cui, D. & Xi, B. Moving policy and regulation forward for single-use plastic alternatives. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 15, 50 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1423-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1423-5