Strategic analysis of single-use plastic ban policy for environmental sustainability: the case of Pakistan

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. 2022. Vol. 24. P. 843–894.

Ali S., Ahmed W., Solangi Y. A., Sharif C. I., Zarei N.

One of the challenging tasks for governments is to curtail the production and consumption of single-use plastic bags. Despite multiple advantages of plastic and its ubiquity, the environmental damage of single-use plastic bags is irreversible. However, policy intervention by the governments is also a need of the time to reduce its production and consumption. This study provides a strategic analysis of government policy options regarding the ban on single-use plastic production in Pakistan. A game-theoretic model is developed to examine the behavior of plastic bag producers vis-à-vis the government’s climate change policy. The study concludes that game theory is very effective in analyzing the efficient promulgation and productive implementation of environmental management policy regarding banning single-use plastic in Pakistan.

Keywords: game theory, strategic analysis, Pakistan, climate change, Environmental management policy, Green bags, Environmental behavior