Current situation of the Turkish organizational field of plastic waste management

The plastic waste trade has become a major issue concerning global waste management. Accordingly, the Chinese import ban has received much attention in academic, media and administrative environments. As a result, more bans are expected to affect the plastic waste trade. Furthermore, it may alter sustainability practices of several industries including plastic, cement, and recycling. Thus, it is important for scholars practicing related sustainable technologies to comprehend the inter-organizational dynamic that impacts plastic waste management. From an organizational and managerial perspective, this article demonstrates the current situation in the Turkish context. It reports the study undertaken to observe various organizations such as media, civil society organizations, firms, universities, and governmental agencies. The article aims to help readers forecast the future of waste management in Turkey as a means to shape future sustainable technologies for managing waste. Following the theoretical contributions of prominent scholars Scott (1994), DiMaggio and Powell (1982), and Hoffman (1999), the study utilized an organizational field concept, explaining how plastic waste trade was managed in Turkey and how managerial practices were interpreted by the organizations in question. The study utilized secondary data consisting of various online sources such as academic journals, news articles, non-governmental and governmental organization reports. The data was analysed thematically to understand how field agents interpreted the situation. Thus, research findings demonstrate how the current situation of the plastic waste trade was interpreted among the Turkish organizational field of plastic waste management. The discussions expect to direct future research for management as well as sustainability studies towards global waste trade and management.