Making a Pact. SA Signs Up to Reduce Plastic Pollution

Recent news of plastic waste recovered in both the Arctic and Antarctica just highlights the threat of microplastics, abandoned fishing gear and other plastic pollution on the environment. This problem has become so pressing that South Africa has decided to get involved on an international level.

According to National Geographic, half of all plastics have been made in the last 15 years. It’s big business. Production increased exponentially from 2,3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons in 2015. Plastics are now strong thanks to additives and it can take hundreds of years to break down. It is also estimated that each year about eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans.

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/16917/plastic-pollution-reaches-the-antarctic/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/microplastics-found-in-arctic-snow/

SA Plastic Pact

To help stem the plastic tide, South Africa has aligned itself with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact global network and recently the SA Plastic Pact was launched. This is a first of its kind in Africa and South Africa joins France, the UK, the Netherlands and Chile, to exchange knowledge and collaborate to speed up the transition to the circular economy for plastic.

This means that plastic will in future stay in the economy and out of the environment by tackling plastic waste and pollution at its root.

The SA Plastic Pact is supported by numerous founding companies. These are Clicks Group, Coca-Cola Africa, Danone, Distell, HomeChoice, Massmart, Myplas, Nampak Rigids, Pick n Pay, Polyoak, Polyplank, Shoprite Group, SPAR, Spur Corporation, TFG, Tigerbrands, Tuffy, Unilever, ADDIS, Waste Plan and Woolworths.

Other organisations include Fruit South Africa, SAPRO, the Polyolefin Responsibility Organisation, the Polystyrene Association of South Africa, the PET Recycling Company, the Southern African Vinyls Association, the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa, the City of Cape Town and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.

Government initiatives

The latter has been proactive in seeking ways to control plastic usage and its impact on the environment. This has included relevant legislation, scientific studies, outreach and awareness programmes, and initiatives on plastic bag policy assessment and the extent of single use plastics waste.

In November last year a plastics colloquium was hosted by the Department which looked at product standards and certification; product design, development and innovation; integration of the informal waste economy; biodegradable and compostable plastics; and infrastructure. On the back of this a Plastics Master Plan is being developed with targets, timeframes, actions and specific goals to be met.

Recognising that the plastic problem cannot be overcome in isolation, the Minister designate, Ms Judy Beaumont, Deputy Director General of Oceans and Coast, said at the launch that although delivering on the SA Plastics Pact targets will be challenging, the environment, economic and social benefits would be significant.

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Commitment to targets

SA Plastics Pact will be managed and delivered by GreenCape. The plan is that the founding members have committed to a series of ambitious targets for 2025 to prevent plastics from becoming waste or pollution. These include coming up with alternative and smarter design solutions for packaging to ensure it is reusable, recyclable or compostable.

Funding the initiative is the UN Environment, Sustainable Lifestyles & Education Programme, the UK’s Commonwealth Litter Programme, and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the British High Commission and the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.

The SA Plastics Pact was developed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-SA), in partnership with the South African Plastics Recycling Organisation (SAPRO), and the UK’s WRAP.