A Stakeholder Analysis of Creating Sustainable Change in the Single-use Beverage Plastic Supply Chain

Single-use plastic has rapidly increased pollution in the United States, and the urgency to address its growing consequences is a complex undertaking. Significantly contributing to plastic pollution is the waste of single-use beverage plastics like cups and straws. In order to make impactful changes in the supply chain of single-use beverage plastics, we must first understand the stakeholders involved and the current extent of their actions. Therefore, this paper will investigate how stakeholders elicit sustainable changes to improve supply chain practices in this particular situation. We will use principles of sustainable supply chain management including corporate social responsibility and the triple bottom line model as the theoretical framework. Methodology consists of a stakeholder analysis where we conduct literature review, a consumer survey analysis, and interviews with industry experts to examine how various stakeholders elicit sustainably focused change. Essential insights made will be to understand different stakeholder actions and perspectives in relation to single-use beverage plastics, and how they contribute to creating sustainable changes in the larger context of plastic pollution control.