Krabbenborg, Naut (2026) Turning the Tide on Plastic: Overcoming Logistical Barriers to Reusable Transport Packaging for the hospitality sector in the Wadden area. Master thesis, Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SE).
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Abstract
Despite its protected UNESCO status, the Dutch Wadden Sea faces a severe ecological threat from single-use plastic waste, largely generated by the local hospitality sector. To address this crisis, this thesis investigates the transition toward circular models by answering: What are the logistical barriers to implementing a reusable transport packaging solution for the Wadden Sea's hospitality industry? Grounded in reverse logistics, supply chain collaboration, and a social-constructivist epistemology, this qualitative study explores operational and relational frictions hindering circularity through thematic analysis of six stakeholder interviews, triangulated with an online questionnaire. Results demonstrate that, contrary to expectations regarding island logistics, physical transport over water is not the primary obstacle. Instead, the most significant logistical barriers are the severe administrative complexities caused by fragmented, non-standardized deposit systems, alongside strict food safety regulations complicating return flows. Furthermore, commercial resistance limits supply chain collaboration, rendering cooperative logistics models strategically unfeasible. The study concludes that overcoming these barriers requires industry-wide standardization of crate systems and compliant return solutions. Ultimately, establishing a functioning closed-loop supply chain necessitates sustained external regulatory pressure and a neutral coordinating body to align competitive interests.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Name supervisor: | Folmer, E.C. and Koning, N. |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Jul 2026 12:11 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Jul 2026 12:11 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/886 |
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