The article in the url below presents a great example of a well-intentioned market intervention that produced unintended consequences:
"Almost a decade ago, California became the first state in the United States to ban single-use plastic bags in an effort to tackle an intractable plastic waste problem."
Predictably, the market reacted:
"Then came the reusable, heavy-duty plastic bags, offered to shoppers for ten cents. Designed to withstand dozens of uses, and technically recyclable, many retailers treated them as exempt from the ban."
But, less predictably, the consequences generated by the adaptation produced the exact opposite of what was originally intended:
"But because they didn't look much different from the flimsy bags they replaced, lots of people didn't actually reuse them. And though they came emblazoned with a recycling symbol, it turned out that few, if any, actually were recycled."
Ultimately:
"Last year, Californians threw away more plastic bags, by weight, than when the law first passed, according to figures from CalRecycle, California's recycling agency."
In short, the mainstream CSR discussion in action.
Take care
David
David Chandler
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California Hopes to Fix Flawed Plastic-Bag Ban
By Hiroko Tabuchi
February 18, 2024
The New York Times
Late Edition – Final
p20
