SA Plastics Pact - Collaboration on reducing plastics

Research shows that eight million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean every year and with a business as usual scenario, according to research done by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 there could be more plastics than fish in the ocean by weight. In South Africa, less than half of all plastic packaging is recycled, with the remainder being landfilled – or worst-case scenario, ending up in the environment.

The SA Plastics Pact, is a platform that brings together key roleplayers from right across the plastics value chain to rethink and redesign the future of plastics. A particular focus is on packaging and the need to forge plastic supply chain commitments that tie in with global commitments, but which are tailored to the South African context.

All stakeholders involved have signed up to a joint set of ambitious and time-bound targets, ensuring that this collaboration will drive significant change by 2025.

By 2025, The SA Plastics Pact will transform the country’s plastic packaging sector by meeting four ambitious targets:

- Taking action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (re-use) delivery models

- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable*

- 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled

- 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging

By meeting these targets, the SA Plastics Pact will also stimulate job creation in the South African plastics collection and recycling sector, and help to create new opportunities in product design and reuse business models.