A study published in the Journal of Marketing Research has shown that environmental policies can have lasting effects even after they are repealed. The analysis, led by Professor Hai Che of the University of California, Riverside, evaluated the restrictions on single use plastic bags in the cities of Austin and Dallas.
The study found that the behaviors generated by the policies persisted after their removal, but not always in a positive way. For example, sales of plastic bags increased significantly after retailers stopped offering free bags. This happened because consumers reused these bags as garbage liners and by not having them, They began to buy specific plastic bags for that purpose. “We expected consumers to adopt more environmentally conscious habits, such as using fewer disposable products. However, we saw an increase in the purchase of plastic,” explains Che.
Despite the negative effects, the measures also promoted some beneficial behaviors. Although there was no concrete data in the study, Che highlighted that Many people began to use reusable cloth bags for their daily purchases.. Additionally, the analysis showed that the longer a policy was in place, the longer the habits associated with it endured, which could offer long-term environmental benefits.
A particular case was that of Dallas, where a five-cent-per-bag tax lasted just five months in 2015 before being repealed due to lawsuits. Following the repeal, plastic bag sales initially declined, but returned to previous levels in just over a year. In Austin, where the ban lasted five years before being overturned by the Texas Supreme Court, the residual effects were longer: purchases of plastic bags remained 38.6% above the initial level even 18 months after revocation.
The research team conducted an analysis to measure the impact of the policies. They found that even small reductions in grocery bag use could offset increases in trash bag purchases. This suggests that, despite the side effects, These policies could benefit the environment in general terms.