Traceability principles in waste stakeholder discourse: Toward a general conceptual framework for plastics supply chain traceability

Improving plastics traceability is often positioned as a key solution to plastics pollution in institutional, industry, and academic discourse. Correspondingly, the lack of traceability regarding various aspects of plastics including their specific content (i.e. the mix of polymers and additives used) and the flows of plastics from production through to waste (i.e. the difficulty of tracking where plastics start and end) are widely understood as key barriers to effective interventions. There is, however, no consolidated understanding of the fundamental conceptual aspects of plastics traceability, with most literature focusing on its technical challenges and opportunities and overlooking governance perspectives. Understanding the conceptual dimensions that inform plastics traceability can assist stakeholders in designing and implementing better traceability schemes. It can also help expand the technology-centric standpoint to recognise that traceability is also about values, norms, and systems. This paper seeks to contribute these perspectives to the development of a principles-based conceptual framework for plastics traceability. This conceptual framework is developed using a qualitative analysis of submissions to the (Australian) National Traceability Framework Consultation, interviews with plastic packaging stakeholders in the Australian context, and relevant industry and policy documents. The research approach is distinctive in its socio-legal perspective and systematic multi-source discourse analysis. The research identified circularity, data generation, assurance, transparency, responsibility, and adaptability as the principles that should, according to stakeholders, inform the design of plastics traceability. It also identifies best practice strategies and pressure points in operationalising these principles of traceability. These results can inform future scholarship towards a common conceptual framework for plastics traceability. The principles identified can also provide clarity and direction in the overarching goals, design, and governance of traceability systems for regulators and companies looking to advance supply chain governance.