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<p>The escalating concerns surrounding single-use plastics, particularly in packaging, have attracted substantial attention since 2015. A previous study employing material flow analysis in Japan unveiled a considerable portion of plastic packaging consumption linked to food product and service sales. The structural change of household food consumption behaviors, such as COVID-19 pandemic, might affect plastic packaging use across the food supply chain. This study developed a model to estimate the quantity of plastic packaging use along the supply chain induced by household consumption, and applied the model to examine its changes before, during, and after the spread of COVID-19 in Japan. Results demonstrated that direct use of plastic packaging in households increased due to increased demand for food delivery and take-out services and that indirect use upstream in the supply chain decreased due to the decrease in dine-in food services during the pandemic. After the pandemic, plastic packaging use associated with home cooking and the indirect use in food services are returning to the prepandemic level, whereas the direct use in food services and prepared foods remains elevated. These findings indicated that the pandemic resulted in structural changes in the use of plastics.</p>

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Impacts of structural changes in household food consumption on plastic packaging use across the supply chain: an empirical study in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月19日

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  • Naoki Yoshikawa,
  • Akie Otsu,
  • Jun Nakatani,
  • Yohei Yamaguchi,
  • Hiroyasu Koizumi,
  • Selvaraj Ambika,
  • Koji Amano

摘要

The escalating concerns surrounding single-use plastics, particularly in packaging, have attracted substantial attention since 2015. A previous study employing material flow analysis in Japan unveiled a considerable portion of plastic packaging consumption linked to food product and service sales. The structural change of household food consumption behaviors, such as COVID-19 pandemic, might affect plastic packaging use across the food supply chain. This study developed a model to estimate the quantity of plastic packaging use along the supply chain induced by household consumption, and applied the model to examine its changes before, during, and after the spread of COVID-19 in Japan. Results demonstrated that direct use of plastic packaging in households increased due to increased demand for food delivery and take-out services and that indirect use upstream in the supply chain decreased due to the decrease in dine-in food services during the pandemic. After the pandemic, plastic packaging use associated with home cooking and the indirect use in food services are returning to the prepandemic level, whereas the direct use in food services and prepared foods remains elevated. These findings indicated that the pandemic resulted in structural changes in the use of plastics.