A green economy is the sustainable setting that everyone today, and future generations, needs to live and work in. It is the responsible and future-looking economy that every sector needs to operate in.  Every industry or business needs to embed sustainability in its operations or methods of doing business to be successful in terms of profitability and growth.

Sustainability is principally the wisest business decision as it is one that benefits the company in terms of growth, being a responsible corporate citizen and, more importantly, for the survival of the future inhabitants of earth. It is thus not a decision to be taken for the sake of compliance, marketing and/or political points. 

Greenwashing is a term that has grown in usage with so many businesses adopting a superficial approach to what sustainable manufacturing entails. Manufacturing enterprises need to take comprehensive responsibility for the environmental impacts of their activities. A good example that is currently being seriously addressed is the single-use plastics that are often used in packaging. This kind of activity is increasingly regarded as immoral and irresponsible and a sign of a vulturous organization.

The Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) as a manufacturing hub supports the principles of being resource efficient, carbon neutral and, importantly, socially inclusive in how it operates, and in the manufacturing tenants that locate there. The ASEZ is thus a home for any manufacturing enterprise that embraces these values and aspires to be part of the future economy, the green economy.

A special economic zone is an economic development tool that aims to stimulate economic activity and job creation for the local people and promote the export of locally produced products. The ASEZ is developing world-class sustainable infrastructure to accommodate manufacturing enterprises that espouse the value of a sustainable future. The ASEZ is not limited to accommodating renewable energy component manufacturers, but also manufacturers of electric vehicles and associated batteries, waste beneficiation projects, biofuels manufacturing etc. 

The ASEZ is located in the City of Cape Town, approximately 
40 km from the CBD. It has large tracts of vacant, industrially zoned land on offer at competitive rates. Atlantis is an area with historic industrial skills and well serviced with electrical, water and waste infrastructure. As a commercially driven enterprise we work with prospective tenants to explore a best-fit deal. This includes funding for factory buildings and embedded rooftop solar PV. We are currently in the civils construction phase of Zone 1 of the ASEZ. We will also be starting on construction of the first green factory to house the manufacturing of acetylene and oxygen.  

Furthermore, we provide customized rental holiday incentives for our tenants, and facilitation services for accessing development financial instruments and various regulatory approvals for the respective projects. We provide facilitation services by leveraging our strategic partnerships with the entities at local, provincial and national government level, as the ASEZ is part of this eco-system.  

Africa is a beautiful continent and richly endowed with natural resources that are supposed to be managed efficiently for the betterment and welfare of its children. The ASEZ has taken the leadership position to drive economic growth in a sustainable manner and invites manufacturing entities to invest and operate from Africa’s green technology manufacturing hub.  It is about time Africa leads the journey to the transition to the green economy. This is the future.