2026-09-22T16:09:57Zhttps://cora.ucc.ie/server/oai/request

oai:cora.ucc.ie:10468/118522023-04-04T10:47:30Zcom_10468_6817com_10468_6com_10468_438com_10468_3com_10468_460com_10468_212com_10468_1col_10468_11853col_10468_9993col_10468_9593col_10468_10904col_10468_8983

openaccess Byrne, Edmond O'Neill, Claire Dunphy, Niall Mullally, Gerard Kirrane, Maria Hughes, Aoife University College Cork 2021-09-08T15:28:06Z 2021-09-08T15:28:06Z 2020-12 2020-12 Plastic pollution is a visible symbol of the increasingly urgent environmental issues facing our world. Single-use plastic packaging comprises about half of plastic waste produced, much of which is used briefly before disposal (UNEP 2018). Meanwhile only approximately 9% of all plastic generated by 2015 were recycled (Geyer et al. 2017). Such figures highlight an entrenched and unhealthy reliance on single-use plastic (SUP) within the current dominant social paradigm which promotes unsustainable levels of growth in consumption and disposal. This research examines how sustainable practices can be facilitated and supported within University College Cork to transition away from SUP. This was done using a mixed method approach of surveys and interviews to examine how stakeholders and community members navigated sustainable behaviour and what barriers they encountered. The research highlights the persistence of cost, availability of alternatives, personal preferences and unsustainable defaults as barriers to sustainable consumption. Infrastructure also influenced behaviour with a lack of supporting infrastructure limiting the adoption of sustainable alternatives. The attitude-behaviour gap also emerged as a barrier to behaviour change re-affirming the need for systemic change rather than relying on individuals to drive changes. The research shows the importance of those in leadership roles prioritising sustainability and the importance of sustainable champions to drive middle-out change in behaviours and policies. Finally, the research highlights the need for stakeholder involvement and collaboration to sustain sustainability initiatives and for their feedback to be used to adapt initiatives. Not peer reviewed Accepted Version application/pdf Hughes, A. 2020. Plastic-free UCC: exploring societal and marketing levers. MRes Thesis, University College Cork. 244 https://hdl.handle.net/10468/11852 en University College Cork University College Cork (UCC Green Campus Living Laboratory Seed Fund) © 2020, Aoife Hughes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Single-use plastic Sustainability Higher education Plastic Plastic-free UCC: exploring societal and marketing levers Masters thesis (Research) Masters MSc - Master of Scienceinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess