Every year, countless tons of plastic make their way into our oceans, posing an escalating and formidable environmental crisis that threatens marine ecosystems globally. While existing solutions mainly tackle the aftermath of plastic production—through recycling efforts, cleanup campaigns, and waste sorting—researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) are pioneering a transformative strategy aimed at fundamentally altering how plastic is produced and consumed. Their multidisciplinary approach seeks to root out plastic pollution from its source, rather than just mitigating its consequences.
Natalya Amirova, a PhD research fellow at NTNU’s Department of Psychology, leads the psychological dimension of this initiative. Amirova emphasizes the urgency of addressing plastic pollution through systemic change rather than piecemeal measures. Present cleanup efforts primarily focus on post-consumption stages—gathering litter from shorelines, recycling plastics, and removing microplastics from wastewater. Yet these actions fail to confront the societal and behavioral drivers that perpetuate plastic pollution. Amirova’s task is to understand what shifts are necessary in societal values, policies, and industrial practices to achieve lasting and meaningful reductions in plastic waste.
The NTNU team conducted a comprehensive review of over fifty policy and community interventions implemented in Norway since the 1980s. These measures range from annual coastal cleanups and programs to retrieve lost fishing gear to campaigns encouraging the use of biodegradable fishing materials. Despite their diversity, these efforts largely prioritize cleanup and recycling rather than systemic prevention. Amirova’s review identifies a stark deficit in interventions geared toward reducing plastic production and consumption at their roots, highlighting a critical gap in current environmental governance.
Among the small subset of initiatives deemed capable of effective systemic transformation are the municipal network KIMO, Norway’s Government strategy for a circular economy, and the International Ocean Panel. These programs uniquely emphasize intrinsic pro-social and ecological values, such as environmental stewardship and political equality. However, Amirova critiques that even these promising frameworks suffer from a lack of clear, enforceable goals and timelines, weakening their ability to drive measurable change or hold stakeholders accountable. Without explicit objectives, progress remains difficult to track or enforce.
Crucially, Amirova’s analysis highlights how many environmental policies in Norway—and globally—still prioritize economic growth and material wealth over ecological health. Many measures promote “external values” driven by financial incentives, status, or conventional economic prosperity, which inadvertently reinforce consumption patterns harmful to the oceans. This materialistic lens clashes with the intrinsic values necessary for true behavioral change, such as social equality, human well-being, and ecological integrity.
Recent social psychological research corroborates this tension. Exposure to materialistic values has been shown to increase individual choices that prioritize personal gain rather than collective environmental welfare. Amirova draws on the work of psychologist Tim Kasser, who argues that meaningful societal transformation requires decision-makers and citizens alike to embrace and act according to pro-social and pro-ecological motivations. Simply put, protecting marine ecosystems demands valuing natural and social wellbeing over mere economic profit.
This tension extends into public messaging and cultural narratives. For instance, framing the ocean primarily as the “world’s seventh largest economy” fosters a commodified, materialistic perspective that obscures the ocean’s role in sustaining human health and mental well-being. Amirova stresses the importance of promoting relational environmental thinking—acknowledging the reciprocal ties between people and the marine environment—as a foundation for reshaping public attitudes and policies. Understanding the ocean as a living system vital to human and planetary health reframes conservation as an ethical imperative, not just an economic calculation.
To support this paradigm shift, the researchers argue for revising conventional progress metrics. Instead of focusing predominantly on economic indicators like GDP, they advocate measuring societal advancement through ocean health—considering factors such as water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Effective environmental governance should include tangible goals with clear timelines for reducing plastic inputs early in the production chain, thereby preventing waste before it enters marine systems.
Additionally, the study calls for amplifying grassroots and small-scale efforts that promote zero waste lifestyles and circular economies. Supporting local businesses with sustainable, low-plastic footprints can not only diminish overall consumption but also bolster community resilience and ecological stewardship. Enhancing the visibility and viability of such alternatives challenges the dominance of large corporations with high plastic footprints and aligns economic activity with environmental sustainability.
The researchers further propose curbing profit-driven advertising, which perpetuates consumerism and materialism, in favor of messages that encourage pro-social and ecological values. Social media platforms, a powerful force shaping public perceptions and behavior, should be leveraged to amplify narratives privileging conservation, community wellbeing, and responsible ocean management. Shifting the cultural focus towards less materialistic lifestyles and more circular, sustainable living could cumulatively reduce plastic pollution at its behavioral source.
Siv Marina Flø Grimstad, the project’s coordinator and associate professor at NTNU’s School of International Business in Ålesund, underscores the critical nature of developing effective behavioral interventions. Without a fundamental change in attitudes and values—from individual consumers to policymakers—the plastic pollution crisis will likely worsen. Grimstad highlights alarming projections that suggest there may be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050 unless transformative change occurs, asserting the urgency of interventions that promote new norms, values, and behaviors in society.
The depth of this research, published in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, offers a compelling critique of current plastic pollution strategies while providing a roadmap for future action. By integrating psychological, economic, and ecological perspectives, the study calls for ambitious, systemic reforms that embed intrinsic environmental values into governance and daily life. The global challenge of marine plastic litter demands nothing less than a shift in how humanity perceives and interacts with the ocean—moving beyond simplistic cleanup to foundational transformation.
Addressing this crisis requires reshaping the political and economic frameworks that currently marginalize ecological considerations. It also necessitates reimagining the ocean not merely as a commercial resource but as a vital, interconnected social-ecological system upon which human and planetary health fundamentally depend. This holistic vision opens avenues for innovative policies, social movements, and scientific collaborations that can rebuild relationships with the sea in sustainable and equitable ways.
Ultimately, the NTNU research represents a clarion call for governments, industries, and societies worldwide to embrace urgent, value-driven change. By adopting clear goals, fostering pro-social ecological values, and supporting bottom-up initiatives, humanity can begin reversing the tide of plastic pollution and securing healthier oceans for future generations.
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Assessment of the transformative potential of interventions in addressing coastal and marine plastic pollution in Norway: A literature review
News Publication Date: 23-Jul-2025
Web References:
https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000186
References:
Amirova, N., Riechers, M., & Richter, I. (2025). Assessment of the transformative potential of interventions in addressing coastal and marine plastic pollution in Norway: A literature review. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000186
Image Credits:
Photo: Siv Marina Flø Grimstad
Keywords:
Plastic pollution, marine litter, circular economy, environmental psychology, pro-social values, behavioral change, ocean stewardship, Norway, sustainable development, zero waste, ecological sustainability, environmental governance
