SFG Technologies, an Mpumalanga-based smart food growing solution, has walked away with the overall winner prize at the annual South African Plastics Recycling Organisation’s (SAPRO) recycling awards.
The gala dinner event, representing the 9th such occasion, was held at the Table Bay Hotel in the V&A Waterfront of Cape Town where more than a hundred guests gathered to enjoy a fine dining experience, live music, stand-up comedy by Conrad Koch, networking and the announcement of sixteen awards.
The guests represented companies of plastic recyclers, plastics converters, brand owners, retailers, and producer responsibility organisations (PROs). Bronze, silver and gold was awarded in five categories for Best Recycled Plastic Products, namely; construction and building products, agriculture and related products, household, leisure and consumer related products, personal care products, and other rigid packaging. The judges under the leadership of Plastics SA selected winners against the criteria of; uniqueness, difficulty to recycle, technical achievement, marketability, fit for purpose & tonnages recycled. Special emphasis was given to the marketability as consumer involvement and buy-in was seen as the new frontier in the development of recycling industries.
Gold winners and their products in each category, in order, were; Supreme Mouldings – wall panels, SFG Technologies – planter box, Incredapeg, MyPlas / Mpact / Unilever – Organics shampoo flip top lid, and PolyOak – Contan bucket. The overall winner was selected from these gold winners, which went to the SFG Technologies planter box. This product boasted a well-built, 70% recycled content planter box that is robust and increases crop productivity in a water and resource efficient way. The boxes are being produced in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture to equip emerging farmers and low-income homes to produce crops. There have already been 36 000 of these boxes produced and they are planning to expand to other provinces. The value that this project has for the reputation of recycled plastics is invaluable.
The event also saw the launch of the SAPRO Platinum Design Principles certificate, which acknowledges best-in-class design for recycling. The first Platinum Design Principles badge was awarded to Spar for their all white, all HDPE milk bottle.
Special mentions from the judges went to the Viro Solutions juice bottle for including consumers in the circularity journey of the packaging and the Do More Foundation for their B.Blox toy which creates artisan jobs, recycles HIPS and makes toys for ECD childcare centres.
Full winners list:
Construction and building products
- Finalist – Tufflex – Picket fence
- Finalist – CRDC – Resin8
- Silver – DC Plastics – Underfloor sheeting
- Gold – Supreme Mouldings – Wall panels
Agriculture and related products
- Bronze – DC Plastics – Mulch Film
- Silver – KR Polymers – R-Grape
- Gold – SFG Technologies / Africa Plastics / Hart Automotive – Planter box
Household, leisure and consumer related products
- Finalist – Sanitouch – Bird feeder
- Bronze – Shoprite – Checkers Trolleys
- Silver – Usabco – Addis Eco Living Range
- Gold – Incredapeg
Personal care products
- Bronze – Alpla / Unilever – Radox bottle
- Silver – Myplas / Berry Astrapak / Unilever – Deodorant Screw Cap
- Gold – MyPlas / Mpact / Unilever – Organics shampoo flip top lid
Other rigid packaging
- Finalist – Polyoak Packaging – Multilayer HDPE drum
- Finalist – Alpla / Unilever – Robertsons rPET spice bottle
- Finalist – Nampak – rPET juice bottle
- Bronze – Ipackchem – 20 litre drum
- Silver – Viro Solutions – Juice bottle
- Gold – PolyOak / HB Plastics – Contan bucket
Overall winner
- SFG Technologies / Africa Plastics / Hart Automotive – Planter box
