South African Plastics Pact’s Members Lead Investment In SA’s Transition Towards A Circular Economy
South African Plastics Pact’s Members Lead Investment In SA’s Transition Towards A Circular Economy. Since the launch of the South African Plastics Pact, members have committed to invest ~R3.5bn in circular downstream investments, including collection, sorting and recycling, and ~R268.3m in upstream interventions, which includes packaging manufacturing and resin production. These investments contribute towards a higher collection and recycling capacity of ~86,000 tonnes.
“The South African Plastics Pact represents one of the ways that we would like to work to accelerate progress towards addressing plastic pollution. International agreements are typically a long & challenging road. The INC-3 in Nairobi was unable to reach consensus. CEOs committing and leading their organisations can make meaningful impact.”
These were the sentiments of the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Barbara Creecy, at the recent annual South African (SA) Plastics Pact C-Suite breakfast, hosted at the Taj Hotel in Cape Town. The breakfast forms part the Pact’s annual member conference, at which members reflect on progress made towards their targets, as well as plan for actions and activities in the year/s to come.
Since its launch, SA Plastics Pact members have invested ~R268.3m in circular upstream interventions, including packaging manufacturing and resin production, and ~R3.5bn in downstream investments, which includes collection, sorting and recycling. These investments contribute towards a higher collection and recycling capacity of 86,000 tonnes. This demonstrates that the members are committed to this journey, above and beyond legislative requirements.
“It is a real pleasure for Heineken Beverages as a business member of the SA Plastics Pact, to reaffirm the importance of circularity in our value chain though events like the c-suite breakfast with Minister Creecy. We thank her for all her leadership and support on this journey. Our Heineken business strategy ‘Evergreen’ highlights the importance of sustainability and responsibility as integral part of our strategy. Our sustainability strategy ‘Brew a better World’, has a strong pillar on maximising circularity. We encourage all players in our ecosystem to join the SA Plastics Pact, and let’s make the circle bigger! This is very much a collaborative, ‘all hands-on deck’, initiative,” said Eric Leong Son, head of sustainability at Heineken
Saliem Fakir, executive director at the African Climate Foundation, who was the breakfast’s Master of Ceremonies, concluded the event. “The South African Plastics Pact is an example of how facilitated collaboration between key role-players across value chains can drive systemic change in complex arenas.”
