From scientists and sustainability managers to waste pickers and buy-back centre owners, women are boosting South Africa’s sustainability efforts – but more needs to be done to ensure equal representation. This is according to experts within the sector, as well as the country’s longest-standing Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), PETCO, which oversees collection and recycling efforts of post-consumer packaging throughout the country. On August 1, women from various parts of the collection and recycling value chain gathered in Killarney, Johannesburg, for an event organised by PETCO, themed: Empowering and Celebrating the Women of the Collection, Sorting and Recycling Industry. Attendees included representatives from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the African Reclaimers Organisation, buy-back centre owners, brands, recyclers, polymer producers and plastic converters. “Women are still not equally represented in the waste industry – especially at higher leadership – but this is changing as industries and corporations at large learn the power of having more diverse teams,” said Preola Adam, PETCO board member and senior sustainability director for Africa at The Coca-Cola Company. “It’s said that for every dollar earned by a woman, 90 cents goes back to the community. When you empower a woman, you empower a community. “Statistically, women and girls face the greatest impacts of the climate crisis, amplifying the gender inequalities that already exist and so women need to be at the heart of sustainability programmes, both in its design and implementation,” said Adam. According to Avashnee Chetty, sustainability manager at leading polymer producer, Safripol, women are best suited to lead the sustainability charge. “We as women are resilient and amazing. If you think of the impact we have just in our own households – we are the glue that keeps the family together; we are the glue that keeps society together,” Chetty …
New data shows major SA brands are meeting plastic collection and recycling targets
Newly released data shows that several major South African brands are meeting targets when it comes to collecting and recycling the plastic packaging in which their products are sold, and keeping it out of the environment. The audited data was released on June 8 by the country’s longest-standing producer responsibility organisation (PRO), PETCO. It represents 2022 collection and recycling rates for the products its members have registered with the organisation, comprising mainly PET bottles, jars and their labels and closures. These members include Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Unilever, Tiger Brands, Twizza, The Beverage Company, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, among others. This comes one year after the promulgation of the Section 18 amendment to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act. Outlining now-mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR), the regulations require packaging producers – brand owners, retailers and importers – to comply with stipulated annual targets for the improved design, collection and recycling of post-consumer product packaging in a bid to move the country towards a more circular economy. Formed in 2004 as a then-voluntary PRO, PETCO administers dedicated EPR schemes for a range of packaging materials on behalf of its members. It assists members with the sustainable design of product packaging and supports the nationwide collection and recycling of PET bottles and their associated plastic closures and labels that end up in the same waste stream. In 2022, PETCO members placed 121 369 tonnes of packaging on the South African market, comprising mainly PET beverage bottles, home and personal care bottles, edible oil bottles, food bottles and jars, plus their associated labels and closures, as well as minor volumes of PET strapping, shrink sleeves and thermoforms. Of this volume, 69%, or 83 967 tonnes of post-consumer packaging, was collected for recycling, with a total recycling rate of 66% achieved. In addition, PETCO’s …
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Military puts muscle behind the circular economy
THE South African military has put its muscle behind the circular economy with its launch of a separation-at-source recycling initiative in Limpopo. The Lephalale-based South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) training centre, which falls under the Department of Defence, has joined forces with South Africa’s longest-standing producer responsibility organisation, PETCO, to roll out the initiative. The centre provides basic military training courses and houses up to 250 new recruits at any given time, generating tonnes of waste currently destined for landfill. The launch in March saw delegates from the private and public sectors gathered at the centre for the official start of the separation-at-source partnership and the handover of a converted six-metre shipping container, sponsored by PETCO, for the storage of recyclable materials. The initiative marks the next chapter in a relationship which has seen PETCO providing training and equipment support to assist SAMHS in meeting its recycling objectives. “PETCO believes in strengthening and developing relationships with both the public and private sector regarding visible and ongoing recycling projects,” said CEO Cheri Scholtz. “Recycling is not a one-man show. Industry cannot do it alone, and the Government cannot do it alone. We need each other.” The relationship between SAHMS and PETCO began in late 2021, when the officer commanding, Colonel M.R. Mphashi, reached out to PETCO to enquire about starting a recycling programme on-site. “In living up to our standards of protecting the environment entrusted to us, we intend to practise responsible waste management and reduce the amount of waste that ends up at the landfill,” Mphashi said. Recycling bins and cages have been placed at the on-site kitchen and accommodation quarters. Once filled, these are taken to the container, where participants in the Working on Fire programme – an initiative of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the …
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Businesses pull together to uplift New Brighton school
Major banks, automotive and industrial businesses, technology partners, and community organisations have heeded the call to support education as the catalyst for community development, as they rallied to the aid of Newell High School in Gqeberha recently. Newell, one of the longest-standing schools in the historic township of New Brighton, is one of the newest beneficiaries of Odin Education, an ed-tech ecosystem into which learners are enrolled for the academic year. The ecosystem includes hardware, e-learning resources and platforms, 24/7 support and connectivity. These secure devices, using a software platform developed by local tech company Jendamark, are locked for educational purposes only and do not provide access to social media platforms but will expose pupils to the latest AI technology, such as ChatGPT. A school liaison will also be placed at the school to support teachers and drive the adoption of technology in the classroom. Automotive component supplier Forvia-Faurecia has selected Odin Education as one of its sustainability projects and is funding the expansion of this initiative at the school, solidifying education as one of the company’s key focus areas. Speaking at the handover event, Newell principal Zama Makapati said he was excited that Newell pupils would be leading from the front when it came to educational technology. “Gone are the days that companies would come to a school, just dump computer equipment, and leave. Here we are so glad that Odin is there week in and week out. The school liaison will be there, helping these learners so that we can get the maximum benefit out of these ed-tech tablets.” The seventh largest automotive supplier in the world, Forvia-Faurecia is the latest partner to come on board with the Odin Education ecosystem. To date, more than 3 150 pupils in six provinces across South Africa have benefitted from the initiative. According to Robert Wistuba, chief engineer for Faurecia Clean Mobility in …
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Jo’burg pupils get a boost from SA-developed education technology
A South African-developed education technology ecosystem is giving Grade 11 pupils in Johannesburg a much-needed boost in their preparations for matric. Thanks to a sponsorship by Sandton-based ElectroMechanica – a switch gear, automation and energy management solutions provider – Grade 11 pupils at Sandtonview Combined School have been equipped with an ecosystem of ed-tech support developed by Odin Education. At a handover at the school on February 17, the 116 pupils were each handed e-learning devices which were pre-loaded with learning platforms and 2GB of monthly data. ElectroMechanica is also sponsoring a digital rewards programme which encourages the pupils to get the most out of the technology exploring and engaging with the online learning resources available on Odin’s platform. The sponsorship also covers the costs of a full-time school liaison, who will provide training and support to teachers in order to assist them with the adoption of technology in their classrooms, to ensure the success of the programme and, ultimately, the pupils. Last year, Sandtonview achieved a matric pass rate of 80.8%, and school principal Horatio Loff believes that, with the help of the Odin Education ecosystem, the school will continue its upward trajectory. “Our learners come from a community that has a high poverty rate. With this partnership, it’s not just about giving them access to technology, but about enhancing the horizon of what they can become.” Loff said sponsor ElectroMechanica was “right across the street” from the school and went out of its way to help give pupils a brighter future. “We never before thought we could have this kind of technology, where learners can access it in their hands. It’s about time that we move on, and experience a better world, which will mean so much to our kids because they are learning better through technology.” ElectroMechanica managing director Andrew Nobbs said the company was proud to be making a direct and …
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Welcome boost for black-owned recycling businesses
A UNIQUE enterprise development programme is set to be a boost for small, black-owned recycling businesses, create jobs and improve the long-term sustainability of the recycling value chain in South Africa. The programme, which focuses on recycling buy-back centres, is being implemented by one of South Africa’s most enduring producer responsibility organisations, PETCO, and its funding partners. The programme will provide structured training and mentorship as well as infrastructural, equipment and funding support to enable entrepreneurs to grow their post-consumer waste collection volumes and run their businesses more effectively. PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz said the initial programme was being introduced in KwaZulu-Natal in early 2023, with a view to rolling it out across South Africa as more funding partners come on board. “PETCO is very serious about creating a sustainable recycling value chain, with a plan which looks ahead as far as five years,” said Scholtz. She said the newly launched enterprise development programme would make a positive contribution towards the transformation of the waste collection and recycling sector and the inclusion of small to medium enterprises in the waste value chain. “The small business cannot be seen in isolation. It is essential to ensuring a reliable supply of quality feedstock to our recycling partners and must be supported as a key element of our overarching socio-economic and environmental strategy,” explained Scholtz. Sue Jurgens, operations manager for implementing partner Enterprise Room, said nine businesses who met the pre-qualifying criterion of producing at least 20 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) per month, had been selected following a rigorous application and assessment process. “The business assessment reviews the SME’s level of business regulatory compliance and the full spectrum of business activities in the creation of its product and service -- from receiving materials through to …
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Tech company spotlights SA’s critical shortage of qualified artisans
A LEADING South African tech company is spotlighting the country's critical shortage of qualified artisans, with the hope of encouraging school leavers to pursue the much-needed technical trades. According to Jendamark Automation, which builds and exports automotive component assembly systems for the global market, artisans are in high demand both locally and abroad, with good career prospects for those who progress successfully through vocational training programmes. Last November, minister of higher education, science and innovation Blade Nzimande stated that South Africa needed at least 60% of school leavers to pursue artisan type training to meet the country’s demand for scarce skills. Jendamark manufacturing and assembly manager Marinus van Rooyen said the company had noticed a worrying decline in the number of applications for advertised positions for artisans, especially among toolmakers. “We are concerned about this trend and have found that this challenge is not unique to Jendamark, as our local and national manufacturing suppliers are experiencing the same frustration,” said Van Rooyen. He said most matriculants viewed a university degree as the only qualification to aspire to but that many flourished in a more hands-on, practical learning environment. “South Africa’s manufacturing sector can only grow if we have the talented engineers, artisans and technicians who have the skills to build and fix things,” said Van Rooyen. Speaking at the official unveiling of a mural by Gqeberha-based artist Buntu Fihla at the company’s manufacturing and assembly hall, Van Rooyen said the aim of the mural was to instil pride among employees and to depict respect for the artisan. “We want visiting school groups, students and employees to understand the value of having a trade and that it is a career path to be proud of, which offers many opportunities. “For trade-tested artisans, the world is their oyster. There is a shortage of technical skills …