Kasta plast? - Carbon lock-in i en discgolfkontext
(2024) MVEM31 20241Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
- Abstract
- The sport of disc golf has grown rapidly during the last five years, meaning a rapid increase in production of discs, and therefore also in the use of virgin plastics. The discs are usually produced with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic elastane (TPE). The disc golf market is dominated by a handfull of brands that all have one thing in common, their work on sustainability is either non-existing or below par. Through the framework of carbon lock-in, specifically for the plastic industry, this study examine the existing challenges and opportunities of increasing sustainability within the sport. Three (n=3) interviews with actors working with production or market aspects within the sport were done through E-mail.... (More)
- The sport of disc golf has grown rapidly during the last five years, meaning a rapid increase in production of discs, and therefore also in the use of virgin plastics. The discs are usually produced with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic elastane (TPE). The disc golf market is dominated by a handfull of brands that all have one thing in common, their work on sustainability is either non-existing or below par. Through the framework of carbon lock-in, specifically for the plastic industry, this study examine the existing challenges and opportunities of increasing sustainability within the sport. Three (n=3) interviews with actors working with production or market aspects within the sport were done through E-mail. Additionally, a survey on disc golfers (n=109) views on environmental aspects and their willingness to pay for a more sustainable sport was made. The study shows that carbon lock-ins are present within production, organizational and market levels. On a consumer level, the willingness to pay is rather low (23 %), mostly due to economic reasons or beliefs that the carbon footprint of disc golf is negligible. At the same time, several respondents express a wish for more sustainable, durable alternatives on the market. The study also shows several opportunities for manufacturers to reduce their climate impact, both by shifting production towards more circular methods, potentially incorporating bio based plastics, and by working with the biomass balance approach. Further, the study argues that there is great opportunity for manufacturers to take green initiatives and communicating these in a concrete way. The study lists a number of potential measures and suggests combining internal sustainability strategies with external measures, such as carbon offsets. The position as ”disc golf’s green company” is there for the taking for the large manufacturers. (Less)
- Popular Abstract (Swedish)
- Den globala plastindustrin är fast i ett fossilberoende som sipprar ner till många olika delar av samhället. Det finns så många användningsområden för plast att individer som del av samhället också fastnar i beroendet. Den här studien har utforskat ett tidigare outforskat område, nämligen discgolf, en liten men snabbt växande sport, ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Fokus ligger på såväl tillverkarnas utmaningar och möjligheter att minska sportens klimatpåverkan som utövarnas normativa uppfattningar om den roll som deras sport spelar i relation till miljö- och klimat.
Plastanvändningen inom sporten är omfattande, men med plast är det ofta så att klimatfokus tagit baksätet i såväl debatter som policyutformningar. Inom EU har strategiska... (More) - Den globala plastindustrin är fast i ett fossilberoende som sipprar ner till många olika delar av samhället. Det finns så många användningsområden för plast att individer som del av samhället också fastnar i beroendet. Den här studien har utforskat ett tidigare outforskat område, nämligen discgolf, en liten men snabbt växande sport, ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Fokus ligger på såväl tillverkarnas utmaningar och möjligheter att minska sportens klimatpåverkan som utövarnas normativa uppfattningar om den roll som deras sport spelar i relation till miljö- och klimat.
Plastanvändningen inom sporten är omfattande, men med plast är det ofta så att klimatfokus tagit baksätet i såväl debatter som policyutformningar. Inom EU har strategiska planer ofta förbisett utsläppsminskningar i produktion av plast. När spelplanen definieras och utformas uppifrån skapas carbon lock-in inom företag som producerar plastprodukter och för konsumenter som använder produkterna. Med carbon lock-in avses inlåsning i fossiloberoende system, vilket kan yttra sig på olika sätt. Den här studien finner att kopplingen mellan klimatpåverkan och disctillverkning varit, och är fortfarande, relativt långt bak i tankarna bland såväl producenter som konsumenter. Samtidigt finns en vilja till förändring och redan nu exempel på såväl biobaserad som cirkulär produktion. Nästa utmaning står till hur klimatpåverkan kan minskas på större skala, och hur klimatvänliga normer kan etableras inom såväl producenternas rutiner som konsumenternas beteende. Den här studien bidrar med konkreta åtgärdsförslag för tillverkningsföretagen som kan inspirera och exemplifiera hur åtgärder kan se ut.
Tidigare studier visar att det finns samband mellan naturanknytning och miljövänligt beteende, och den här studien bekräftar sambandet delvis genom att påvisa discgolfare som en grupp som bryr sig om miljön, men framförallt i form av nedskräpning vid banor. Kanske är klimatet som fenomen fortfarande så pass abstrakt att kopplingen inte blir lika tydlig mellan plastanvändning och klimatpåverkan? (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9162080
- author
- Nilsson, Jonatan LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Throwing plastic? - Carbon lock-in in a disc golf context
- course
- MVEM31 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Carbon Lock-in, Disc golf, TPU, TPE, Recycling, Bio-based Plastics, Willingness To Pay, Biomass balance, Environmental communication.
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9162080
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-17 11:05:20
- date last changed
- 2024-06-17 11:05:20
@misc{9162080,
abstract = {{The sport of disc golf has grown rapidly during the last five years, meaning a rapid increase in production of discs, and therefore also in the use of virgin plastics. The discs are usually produced with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic elastane (TPE). The disc golf market is dominated by a handfull of brands that all have one thing in common, their work on sustainability is either non-existing or below par. Through the framework of carbon lock-in, specifically for the plastic industry, this study examine the existing challenges and opportunities of increasing sustainability within the sport. Three (n=3) interviews with actors working with production or market aspects within the sport were done through E-mail. Additionally, a survey on disc golfers (n=109) views on environmental aspects and their willingness to pay for a more sustainable sport was made. The study shows that carbon lock-ins are present within production, organizational and market levels. On a consumer level, the willingness to pay is rather low (23 %), mostly due to economic reasons or beliefs that the carbon footprint of disc golf is negligible. At the same time, several respondents express a wish for more sustainable, durable alternatives on the market. The study also shows several opportunities for manufacturers to reduce their climate impact, both by shifting production towards more circular methods, potentially incorporating bio based plastics, and by working with the biomass balance approach. Further, the study argues that there is great opportunity for manufacturers to take green initiatives and communicating these in a concrete way. The study lists a number of potential measures and suggests combining internal sustainability strategies with external measures, such as carbon offsets. The position as ”disc golf’s green company” is there for the taking for the large manufacturers.}},
author = {{Nilsson, Jonatan}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Kasta plast? - Carbon lock-in i en discgolfkontext}},
year = {{2024}},
}