JSE- and London-listed diversified consumer group Naspers and its subsidiaries online retailer Takealot and publication and distribution company Media24 have joined the South African Plastics Pact.

The pact is an industry collaboration of packaging producers, brand owners, retailers, recyclers, governments and nongovernmental organisations to tackle plastic packaging waste by creating a circular economy for plastics.

“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,” Naspers and Prosus global head of sustainability Prajna Khanna says.

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, she adds.

“Plastic and packaging waste is a global problem that requires local solutions and systems to tackle successfully. At Naspers, we are committed to being part of the solution as we move faster towards a circular economy for plastics,” notes Naspers South Africa CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa.

“We are delighted to join forces with Takealot, Media24 and the existing SA Plastics Pact members to reduce plastic waste across the value chain,” she says.

Joining the SA Plastics Pact coincides with the publication of Naspers' and Prosus’ 'Scaling Sustainable Packaging - 10 Golden Rules' report, which takes a comprehensive look at packaging used across global delivery platforms and offers 10 golden rules for the sector to increase its use of sustainable packaging and lower its waste footprint.

The report revealed trends including that a rise in South Africa’s population and urbanisation has resulted in a surge in per capita waste generation, with consequent stress on current landfills and significant waste leakage into the environment.

Further, as in many developing countries, the informal sector is a critical part of South Africa’s recycling economy with 60 000 to 90 000 people earning their livelihoods from informal waste picking.

However, although very critical to the value chain, only 3.6% of plastics recyclables are obtained directly from waste pickers.

Meanwhile, the South African market is still highly dominated by virgin plastics. In 2020, South Africa consumed about 1.74-million tonnes of plastic polymers, and this shows an opportunity to increase recycling.

However, 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, Naspers says.

“Takealot 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 on-site waste, ensures that all of its paper packaging suppliers are Forest Stewardship Council-certified and promotes recycling instructions on all of its packaging,” Mahanyele-Dabengwa points out.

Equally, Media24 Logistics has invested in on-site 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.

It is also replacing unrecyclable plastic void fill and plastic tape with sustainably-sourced paper or packaging manufactured from recycled materials. On the Dot, which is its media logistics business, has switched to biodegradable plastic for its subscriber packaging, she added.

The SA Plastics Pact, launched in 2020, 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, besides others.

In 2021, 34.7-million problematic or unnecessary plastic items were removed, eliminated or replaced with more suitable alternatives by members of the SA Plastics Pact, with 81.2% of plastic packaging placed on the market currently being recycled.

The pact aims to transform the country’s plastic packaging use by meeting four targets, namely taking action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (re-use) delivery models, and ensuring 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.

Further, the pact also aims to establish a 70% effective recycling rate for plastic packaging and the inclusion of an average of 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging.