IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i8p5604-d1128927.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reducing Plastic Pollution by Recovery and Recycling: Evidence from a “Blue Economy” Project Impacting Policy-Making in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Lorenzo Vassallo

    (Fondazione Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore, 00133 Roma, Italy)

  • Andrea Appolloni

    (Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy)

  • Chiara Fantauzzi

    (Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy)

  • Rocco Frondizi

    (Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

This paper recognizes the relevance of the Seabed Cleaning Project, created by the Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore Foundation in 2010, and presents it as a tool to achieve benefits in environmental, social, and economic terms, in line with the innovative framework of the Blue Economy. The project suggests a practical, feasible, and scalable solution to plastic pollution that can be obtained thanks to the activity performed by fishermen in cooperation with the municipality and local community (in a multi-level cooperation perspective). The data show a significant reduction of plastic on the seafloor thanks to the project, but further research is needed in order to collect further positive outcomes from different applications of the project. In 2022, the “Salva Mare” Law was approved in the Senate, extending the good practices proposed by the Foundation nationwide and showing how small gestures and concrete actions can provide significant improvements in pursuit of a healthier, safer, greener, and smarter city for the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Vassallo & Andrea Appolloni & Chiara Fantauzzi & Rocco Frondizi, 2023. "Reducing Plastic Pollution by Recovery and Recycling: Evidence from a “Blue Economy” Project Impacting Policy-Making in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:8:p:5604-:d:1128927
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/8/5604/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/8/5604/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melanie Bergmann & Mine B. Tekman & Lars Gutow, 2017. "Sea change for plastic pollution," Nature, Nature, vol. 544(7650), pages 297-297, April.
    2. Juana Camacho-Otero & Casper Boks & Ida Nilstad Pettersen, 2018. "Consumption in the Circular Economy: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-25, August.
    3. Voyer, Dr Michelle & van Leeuwen, Dr Judith, 2019. "‘Social license to operate’ in the Blue Economy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 102-113.
    4. Surís-Regueiro, Juan C. & Garza-Gil, M. Dolores & Varela-Lafuente, Manuel M., 2013. "Marine economy: A proposal for its definition in the European Union," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 111-124.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xin Yang & Yi Zhou & Yincheng Li & Siming Wang, 2024. "International Law and Regulation of Marine Microplastics: Current Situation, Problems, and Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Quintano, Claudio & Mazzocchi, Paolo & Rocca, Antonella, 2021. "Evaluation of the eco-efficiency of territorial districts with seaport economic activities," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. S. Bhattacharya & R. Ajwani-Ramchandani & Shishir Kumar Jha & C.J. Chiappetta Jabbour & V.G. Venkatesh, 2023. "Prologue for the Virtual Special Issue on Social Circular Consumption- Exploring the Role of the Bottom of Pyramid," Post-Print hal-04458204, HAL.
    4. Alessandro De Matteis & Fethiye Burcu Turkmen Ceylan & Mona Daoud & Anne Kahuthu, 2022. "A systemic approach to tackling ocean plastic debris," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 136-145, March.
    5. Farrukh Rafiq & Mohd Adil & Mohd Sadiq, 2022. "Does Contextual Factor Influence Travelers’ Towel Reuse Behavior? Insights from Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Anna Barford & Saffy Rose Ahmad, 2021. "A Call for a Socially Restorative Circular Economy: Waste Pickers in the Recycled Plastics Supply Chain," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 761-782, September.
    7. Pedro Manuel Sousa & Maria João Moreira & Ana Pinto de Moura & Rui Costa Lima & Luís Miguel Cunha, 2021. "Consumer Perception of the Circular Economy Concept Applied to the Food Domain: An Exploratory Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Christof Falkenberg & Carina Schneeberger & Siegfried Pöchtrager, 2023. "Is Sustainability Reporting Promoting a Circular Economy? Analysis of Companies’ Sustainability Reports in the Agri-Food Sector in the Scope of Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and EU Taxo," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, May.
    9. Camila Kolling & José Luis Duarte Ribeiro & Donato Morea & Gianpaolo Iazzolino, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and circular economy from the perspective of consumers: A cross‐cultural analysis in the cosmetic industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1226-1243, May.
    10. Kutaula, Smirti & Gillani, Alvina & Leonidou, Leonidas C. & Christodoulides, Paul, 2022. "Integrating fair trade with circular economy: Personality traits, consumer engagement, and ethically-minded behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1087-1102.
    11. Manoela Lawall Radtke & Stefânia Ordovás de Almeida & Lélis Balestrin Espartel, 2022. "What Brought Me Here? Different Consumer Journeys for Practices of Sustainable Disposal through Takeback Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-25, April.
    12. Mikkel Nøjgaard & Cristiano Smaniotto & Søren Askegaard & Ciprian Cimpan & Dmitry Zhilyaev & Henrik Wenzel, 2020. "How the Dead Storage of Consumer Electronics Creates Consumer Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Rui Jorge Carreira & José Vasconcelos Ferreira & Ana Luísa Ramos, 2023. "The Consumer’s Role in the Transition to the Circular Economy: A State of the Art Based on a SLR with Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-19, October.
    14. Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Sara Russo-Garrido & Nicolas Merveille, 2020. "Addressing the Social Aspects of a Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    15. Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica & Stangherlin, Isadora Do Carmo, 2021. "Upcycled by-product use in agri-food systems from a consumer perspective: A review of what we know, and what is missing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    16. Hampus André & Anna Björklund, 2023. "A framework to open the black box of the use phase in circular economy life cycle assessments: The case of shell jacket reuse," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(4), pages 1137-1150, August.
    17. Mehmet Balcilar & Evrim Toren, 2021. "The Time-Varying Effect of Asset Prices on Turkey’s Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-16, November.
    18. Wen-Kuo Chen & Ching-Torng Lin, 2021. "Interrelationship among CE Adoption Obstacles of Supply Chain in the Textile Sector: Based on the DEMATEL-ISM Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-24, June.
    19. Konstantinos Papageorgiou & Pramod K. Singh & Elpiniki Papageorgiou & Harpalsinh Chudasama & Dionysis Bochtis & George Stamoulis, 2019. "Fuzzy Cognitive Map-Based Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Planning for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, December.
    20. Doroteja Vidmar & Marjeta Marolt & Andreja Pucihar, 2021. "Information Technology for Business Sustainability: A Literature Review with Automated Content Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:8:p:5604-:d:1128927. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.