abstract
- Undergraduate students' perceptions of plastic waste are concerning, as they play a vital role in shaping the sustainable solutions that they will develop as professionals. STEM majors are key in reshaping undergraduates' understanding of global issues through problem-solving and competence-based learning. Moreover, the systems thinking competence is important for endorsing possible solutions to plastic pollution issues. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate and reshape the current reasoning of students regarding plastic pollution through systems thinking and life cycle assessment (LCA). The results show how this approach reduces biases in assessing the most viable option for tackling the ubiquitous plastic pollution issue by revealing hidden environmental impacts in alternatives to oil-derived plastics and misconceptions about plastic production processes and demonstrate how students recognize LCA as a valuable tool for evaluating the sustainability of plastic alternatives. Most importantly the students reshaped their perspectives by addressing the issue of plastic pollution from a broader perspective considering the environmental impacts of possible alternatives for plastic production towards sustainability. © 2024 IEEE.