Embedded disposability: A cultural political economy of plastics

Karl Holmberg

Embedded disposability: A cultural political economy of plastics

Bidragets översatta titel : Inbäddad engångsmässighet: En kulturell politisk ekonomi av plast

Karl Holmberg

Forskningsoutput: Avhandling › Doktorsavhandling (monografi)

184 Nedladdningar (Pure)

Sammanfattning

Plast präglar i stort sett allting i det moderna livet och bidrar till miljöförstöring och avfallsgenerering på global nivå. Denna avhandling undersöker hur plastavfall blev djupt inbäddat i Sveriges kulturella, politiska och ekonomiska strukturer. Med hjälp av ett ramverk baserat på kulturell politisk ekonomi (CPE) används tre perspektiv - hegemoni, inlåsningseffekter och praktiker - för att analysera framväxten av plastens engångsmässighet i Sverige under 1900-talet. Studien undersöker tre centrala platser för att visa hur plastens engångsmässighet blev förankrat: framväxten av självbetjäningsbutikerna, införandet av engångsförpackningar och expansionen av petrokemiska industrier. Den visar hur regelverk, tekniska framsteg och kulturella förändringar normaliserade en slit-och-släng-kultur. I slutet av 1960-talet kom följaktligen avfallshantering och återvinning att bli svaren på konsekvenserna av slit-och-släng-kulturen vilka inte utmanade dess underliggande logik.

Denna avhandling utvecklar CPE-forskningen genom att visa hur en kombination av perspektiven hegemoni, inlåsningseffekter och praktiker ger ett strukturellt ramverk för att analysera socio-materiell inbäddning. Tillsammans belyser dessa linser hur engångsplast blev nästan omöjligt att undkomma, vilket gör det svårt att föreställa sig alternativ. Analysen visar hur inbäddningen av plastens engångsmässighet uppstod i Sverige på grund av strukturell nödvändighet, ekonomisk rationalitet och social normalisering. Slutsatsen är att tekniska lösningar eller beteendepåverkan inte räcker för att möjliggöra en hållbar omställning. I stället efterlyses en övergång till etik och värderationalitet som vägledande grundprinciper för det moderna samhället. Genom att belysa den sociopolitiska dynamik som upprätthåller plastens engångsmässighet ger denna studie kritiska insikter i hindren och vägarna mot en mer hållbar materialanvändning.

Bidragets översatta titel	Inbäddad engångsmässighet: En kulturell politisk ekonomi av plast
Originalspråk	engelska
Kvalifikation	Doktor
Tilldelande institution	Statsvetenskapliga institutionen
Handledare	Stripple, Johannes, handledare Skovgaard, Jakob, handledare Hasselbalch, Jacob, handledare, Extern person
Tilldelningsdatum	2025 maj 16
Utgivningsort	Lund
Förlag	Lund University
ISBN (tryckt)	978-91-8104-463-8
ISBN (elektroniskt)	978-91-8104-464-5
Status	Published - 2025 mars

Bibliografisk information

Defence details
Date: 2025-05-16
Time: 10:00
Place: Edens hörsal, Allhelgona kyrkogata 14, Lund
External reviewer(s)
Name: Mah, Alice
Title: Professor
Affiliation: University of Glasgow
---

Ämnesklassifikation (UKÄ)

Samhällsvetenskap
Statsvetenskap
Teknik- och miljöhistoria
Sociologi
Ekonomisk historia

Fria nyckelord

kulturell politisk ekonomi
plast
engångsmässighet
Sverige
miljöhistoria
inbäddning
hegemoni
inlåsningseffekter
praktiker
självbetjäningsbutiker
plastförpackningar
petrokemi

FN:s Globala mål

Denna forskningsoutput relaterar till följande Globala mål

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Holmberg (2025) - Embedded Disposability - A Cultural Political Economy of PlasticsPublicerad version, 6,29 MB

STEPS Phase 2: Sutainable Plastics and Transition Pathways - Phase 2
Hatti-Kaul, R. (PI), Egan, N. (Projektkommunikatör), Generosi, J. (Projektkoordinator), Hulteberg, C. (Forskare), Bauer, F. (Forskare), Zhang, B. (Forskare), Englund Örn, O. (Forskarstuderande), Sayed Ali Sayed, M. (Forskare), Hagman, A. (Forskningsassistent), Leiva Eriksson, N. (Forskare), Pyo, S.-H. (Forskare), Madsen, S. (Forskarstuderande), Palm, E. (Forskarstuderande), Nilsson, L. J. (Forskare), Ericsson, K. (Forskare), Stripple, J. (Forskare), Holmberg, K. (Forskarstuderande), Liu, J. (Forskare), Molina-Besch, K. (Forskare), Mankar, S. (Forskarstuderande), Warlin, N. (Forskarstuderande), Nguyen, T. (Forskarstuderande), Nordin, A. (Forskare), Dash, S. (Forskarstuderande), Jannasch, P. (Forskare), Karlsson, H. (Forskarstuderande), Abdelaziz, O. (Forskare), Garcia Gonzalez, N. (Forskare), Peric, S. (Administratör), Valsange, N. (Forskarstuderande) & Rehnberg, N. (Forskare)
MISTRA, Swedish foundation for strategic environmental research
2020/09/01 → 2024/08/31
Projekt: Forskning

University of Manchester
Holmberg, K. (Gästforskare) & Paterson, M. (Roll ej angiven)
2024 mars 1 → 2024 juni 1
Aktivitet: Besök vid en extern institution › Forskning eller undervisning vid extern organisation

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abstract = "Plastic disposability is a pervasive feature of modern life, contributing to environmental degradation and waste generation on a global scale. This dissertation investigates how plastic disposability became deeply embedded within Sweden's cultural, political, and economic structures. Using a Cultural Political Economy (CPE) framework, it applies three lenses – hegemony, lock-in, and practice – to analyse the emergence of plastic disposability in Sweden during the twentieth century. The study examines three key sites to demonstrate how plastic disposability became entrenched: the rise of self-service retail, the introduction of disposable packaging, and the expansion of petrochemical industries. It shows how regulatory frameworks, technological advancements, and cultural shifts normalised a throwaway culture. By the end of the 1960s, waste management and recycling addressed disposability{\textquoteright}s consequences without challenging its underlying logic.This dissertation advances CPE scholarship by displaying how the combined lenses of hegemony, lock-in, and practice provide a structured way to analyse socio-material embeddedness. Together, these lenses reveal how disposable plastics became almost impossible to escape, making it challenging to envision alternatives. The analysis demonstrates how the embedded disposability of plastics occurred in Sweden because of structural necessity, economic rationality, and social normalisation. The conclusion is that technological fixes or behavioural nudging alone are insufficient to enable sustainability transitions. Instead, it calls for a shift towards ethics and value rationalities as guiding principles in modern society. By revealing the socio-political dynamics that sustain plastic disposability, this study provides critical insights into the barriers and pathways to more sustainable material practices.",

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AU - Holmberg, Karl

N1 - Defence details Date: 2025-05-16 Time: 10:00 Place: Edens hörsal, Allhelgona kyrkogata 14, Lund External reviewer(s) Name: Mah, Alice Title: Professor Affiliation: University of Glasgow ---

PY - 2025/3

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N2 - Plastic disposability is a pervasive feature of modern life, contributing to environmental degradation and waste generation on a global scale. This dissertation investigates how plastic disposability became deeply embedded within Sweden's cultural, political, and economic structures. Using a Cultural Political Economy (CPE) framework, it applies three lenses – hegemony, lock-in, and practice – to analyse the emergence of plastic disposability in Sweden during the twentieth century. The study examines three key sites to demonstrate how plastic disposability became entrenched: the rise of self-service retail, the introduction of disposable packaging, and the expansion of petrochemical industries. It shows how regulatory frameworks, technological advancements, and cultural shifts normalised a throwaway culture. By the end of the 1960s, waste management and recycling addressed disposability’s consequences without challenging its underlying logic.This dissertation advances CPE scholarship by displaying how the combined lenses of hegemony, lock-in, and practice provide a structured way to analyse socio-material embeddedness. Together, these lenses reveal how disposable plastics became almost impossible to escape, making it challenging to envision alternatives. The analysis demonstrates how the embedded disposability of plastics occurred in Sweden because of structural necessity, economic rationality, and social normalisation. The conclusion is that technological fixes or behavioural nudging alone are insufficient to enable sustainability transitions. Instead, it calls for a shift towards ethics and value rationalities as guiding principles in modern society. By revealing the socio-political dynamics that sustain plastic disposability, this study provides critical insights into the barriers and pathways to more sustainable material practices.

AB - Plastic disposability is a pervasive feature of modern life, contributing to environmental degradation and waste generation on a global scale. This dissertation investigates how plastic disposability became deeply embedded within Sweden's cultural, political, and economic structures. Using a Cultural Political Economy (CPE) framework, it applies three lenses – hegemony, lock-in, and practice – to analyse the emergence of plastic disposability in Sweden during the twentieth century. The study examines three key sites to demonstrate how plastic disposability became entrenched: the rise of self-service retail, the introduction of disposable packaging, and the expansion of petrochemical industries. It shows how regulatory frameworks, technological advancements, and cultural shifts normalised a throwaway culture. By the end of the 1960s, waste management and recycling addressed disposability’s consequences without challenging its underlying logic.This dissertation advances CPE scholarship by displaying how the combined lenses of hegemony, lock-in, and practice provide a structured way to analyse socio-material embeddedness. Together, these lenses reveal how disposable plastics became almost impossible to escape, making it challenging to envision alternatives. The analysis demonstrates how the embedded disposability of plastics occurred in Sweden because of structural necessity, economic rationality, and social normalisation. The conclusion is that technological fixes or behavioural nudging alone are insufficient to enable sustainability transitions. Instead, it calls for a shift towards ethics and value rationalities as guiding principles in modern society. By revealing the socio-political dynamics that sustain plastic disposability, this study provides critical insights into the barriers and pathways to more sustainable material practices.

KW - cultural political economy

KW - plastics

KW - disposability

KW - Sweden

KW - environmental history

KW - embeddedness

KW - hegemony

KW - lock-ins

KW - practices

KW - self-service stores

KW - plastic packaging

KW - petrochemicals

KW - kulturell politisk ekonomi

KW - plast

KW - engångsmässighet

KW - Sverige

KW - miljöhistoria

KW - inbäddning

KW - hegemoni

KW - inlåsningseffekter

KW - praktiker

KW - självbetjäningsbutiker

KW - plastförpackningar

KW - petrokemi

M3 - Doctoral Thesis (monograph)

SN - 978-91-8104-463-8

T3 - Lund Political Studies

PB - Lund University

CY - Lund

ER -

Embedded disposability: A cultural political economy of plastics

Sammanfattning

Bibliografisk information

Ämnesklassifikation (UKÄ)

Fria nyckelord

FN:s Globala mål

Tillgång till dokument

Fingeravtryck

Projekt

STEPS Phase 2: Sutainable Plastics and Transition Pathways - Phase 2

Aktiviteter

University of Manchester

Citera det här