Plastics play an important role in the transition from the current linear economy to a more circular one, but ideas differ about this role. These ideas were studied in this article as a form of futurity framing. These framings may hinder or contribute to a transition toward a circular bioeconomy by opening up or closing down alternative paradigms for thinking about plastics in the future. Based on a media analysis of four Dutch national newspapers and international academic papers, three futurity frames were found regarding the role of different types of plastics in a linear economy, a circular economy, or an economy in transition. (1) In newspapers and academic sources, traditional plastics were considered part of a linear economy. (2) In both sources, all sorts of actors saw a future for plastics with improved material properties in a transition toward a circular economy, but in combination with a change in consumer behavior and waste management systems. (3) In both academic journals and newspapers, a role for plastics was envisioned in a future circular economy. However, in academic journals, the discussions focused mainly on the improvement of alternative forms of plastics such as biobased and/or biodegradable, whereas, in newspapers, recycling traditional plastics was emphasized. These findings indicate that a transition to a more circular economy may accelerate if both the closing-the-loop argument and the argument for technological innovations for biobased and biodegradable products receive equal attention in newspapers and academic journals, and are taken more into account in a societal future vision for the circular economy.

塑料在从当前的线性经济向更循环的经济转型中发挥着重要作用，但关于这一角色的想法不同。这些想法在本文中作为未来框架的一种形式进行了研究. 这些框架可能会通过打开或关闭未来考虑塑料的替代范式来阻碍或促进向循环生物经济的过渡。根据对四家荷兰国家报纸和国际学术论文的媒体分析，发现了三种关于不同类型塑料在线性经济、循环经济或转型经济中的作用的未来框架。(1) 在报纸和学术资料中，传统塑料被认为是线性经济的一部分。(2) 在这两个来源中，各种行为者都看到了塑料在向循环经济过渡的过程中材料性能得到改善的未来，但与消费者行为和废物管理系统的变化相结合。(3) 在学术期刊和报纸上，设想塑料在未来的循环经济中发挥作用。然而，在学术期刊上，讨论主要集中在改进替代形式的塑料，如生物基和/或可生物降解的塑料，而在报纸上，则强调回收传统塑料。这些发现表明，如果闭环论点和生物基和可生物降解产品的技术创新论点在报纸和学术期刊上得到同等关注，并在循环经济的社会未来愿景。强调回收传统塑料。这些发现表明，如果闭环论点和生物基和可生物降解产品的技术创新论点在报纸和学术期刊上得到同等关注，并在循环经济的社会未来愿景。强调回收传统塑料。这些发现表明，如果闭环论点和生物基和可生物降解产品的技术创新论点在报纸和学术期刊上得到同等关注，并在循环经济的社会未来愿景。