This teaching experience is designed for the subject "Principles of Economics" of the Degree in Political Science, but it can be used in any subject of economics of other degrees.
Education about and for sustainability is one way of addressing sustainability issues among students. This study investigates students' reasoning about the life cycle of (bio)plastics. The aim is to find out students' perceptions of the sustainability of (bio)plastics by revealing their arguments and the type of scientific knowledge they use. The topic of (bio)plastics has been chosen because students encounter (bio)plastics in everyday life and waste management of (bio)plastics is a well-known topic in society. Three research questions are addressed: (1) What knowledge, scientific and otherwise, do students use to reason about the sustainability of(bio)plastics?; (2) What components are present in the students' reasoning, i.e. what assertions, endorsements, refutations and qualifiers can be identified?; (3) To what extent does the activity designed for the students make them aware of the complexity and multidimensionality of the sustainability issue? Analysis of the bioplastics market and its relationship with other markets. In this stage, knowledge acquired about market demand and supply, taxes, subsidies, price and income elasticity of demand and willingness to pay will be put into practice.
This teaching project connects to what is now known as the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy goes beyond the globalised economy and the Green Economy. Time has come to shift to a competitive business model that meets everyone's basic needs with what is available locally.
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