Naspers, Takealot And Media24 Join The South African Plastics Pact To Reduce Plastic Waste Across Value Chain
Naspers, Takealot And Media24 Join The South African Plastics Pact To Reduce Plastic Waste Across Value Chain. Naspers, and its subsidiary businesses, Takealot and Media24, have joined the South African Plastics Pact, an industry collaboration of packaging producers, brand owners, retailers, recyclers, governments and NGOs to tackle plastic packaging waste by creating a circular economy for plastics.
The SA Plastics Pact was launched in 2020 as part of The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative. It is managed by green economy non-profit, GreenCape and currently has 44 members representing key organisations across the plastics value chain, including Unilever, Woolworths, Clicks, Food Lovers Market, Spar and Pick n Pay, among others.
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, South Africa CEO of Naspers, said: “We are delighted to join forces with Takealot, Media24 and the existing SA Plastics Pact members to reduce plastic waste across the value chain. We know that plastic and packaging waste is a global problem that requires local solutions and systems to tackle it successfully. At Naspers, we are committed to being part of the solution as we move faster towards a circular economy for plastics.”
Despite these challenges, South Africa is showing a proactive response to the growing concern around waste and its impact with South African businesses using innovative tools to help drive the reduction in plastic and packaging waste. Takealot, for example, has installed recycling stations at its two flagship pickup points and plans to roll these out to 90 new pickup points. Takealot recycles 98% of its onsite waste, ensures that all of its paper packaging suppliers are FSC certified and promotes recycling instructions on all of its packaging. Among several other ways to reduce packaging, the company also ships certain categories of products such as air fryers and microwaves, in their original packaging, avoiding the use of transportation boxes, thereby eliminating the need for double packaging.
Equally, Media24 Logistics has invested in onsite conveyor systems to sort and bail plastics and cardboard boxes at its warehouses to manage all its inbound packaging, with more than 98% of all packaging material recycled. The company is also replacing unrecyclable plastic void fill and plastic tape with sustainably-sourced paper or packaging manufactured from recycled materials. On the Dot, its media logistics business, has switched to biodegradable plastic for its subscriber packaging.
Prajna Khanna, Global Head of Sustainability at Naspers and Prosus, said: “We recognise the opportunities for our platform businesses, like Takealot and Media24, to help improve the entire packaging ecosystem. These companies are developing innovative solutions and becoming a source of inspiration for market peers and business partners alike. While there is still much work to be done, the progress made so far is a positive sign that South Africa is moving towards a more environmentally responsible future.”
