GreenCape as the secretariat of the South African Plastics Pact was honored to host a side event at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meetings in Cape Town. The panel discussion, titled “Scaling circular cconomy solutions through strategic partnerships: Lessons from South Africa,” underscored the progress being made towards a circular economy for plastics in South Africa.
This engagement follows a recent executive roundtable where the SAPP members addressed key opportunities for collaboration with the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr. Dion George. Yesterday’s event served as a critical platform to continue this dialogue and demonstrate how partnerships across the value chain, and between government and the private sector, are driving tangible change.
During his welcome address, South African Plastics Pact Steering Committee chairman, Blain Van Wyk (Pepsico), highlighted the significant investments into a circular economy that the Pact members have made. In particular he referenced the “over R1 billion investment in upstream activities alongside a total investment exceeding R2.5 billion in downstream activities.”
Key to this is the collaborative nature of the Pact which, in addition to uniting a diverse set of stakeholders, also allows for the acceleration of progress relative ot other available mechanisms.
In reflecting on WRAP‘s global experience of working with all of the Plastic Pacts, David Rogers, Director of International Development at WRAP, emphasised that the South African Plastics Pact can be, and already is, an allie to government. He also emphasised the role of Pacts in supporting the work towards a global treaty for plastics.
Feroz Koor, Group Sustainability Officer at Woolworths, referenced the intangible benefits of the Pact, highlighting that the collaborative and pre-competitive nature of the Pact meant that businesses could share in the journey.
Working together moves the needle of progress towards a circular economy for plastic packaging, it changes consumer behaviour and it puts pressure on the laggards”
Feroz Koor, Woolworths
Avashnee Chetty, Sustainability Manager at Safripol, reflected on the unique postion of the Pact to work towards standardisation in order to establish viable, commercial solutions at scale. Commitment from brand owners and retailers will play a significant role in de-risking innovation, something that the Pact is uniquely positioned to support.
Ultimately it was left to National Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Dr Dion george, to conclude the event, with the Minister rather poetically concluding “partnerships, not prescription, ensures progress”.
The SA Plastics Pact extends its gratitude to all the panelists for their invaluable contributions and insights:
- Dr. Dion George (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, DFFE)
- Blain van Wyk (PepsiCo)
- David Rogers (WRAP)
- Dr. Avashnee Chetty (Safripol)
- Feroz Koor (Woolworths Holdings Limited)
- Johann Conradie (MyPlas)
- Lorren de Kock (WWF South Africa)
- Saloshnee Naidoo (GreenCape)
The Pact remains committed to fostering the collaborations needed to achieve its 2025 targets and looks forward to building on this momentum.
