South Africa tackles plastic waste with new F&B pack initiative 

The Plastic Reboot Project has launched in Pretoria, South Africa, to tackle waste packaging pollution in the F&B sector. The project focuses on improving the plastic packaging lifecycle through interventions at different stages.

Upstream, the initiative aims to eliminate “unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastic products and hazardous additives,” while promoting sustainable alternatives, reuse and refill models, and the use of recycled plastics as feedstock to displace virgin plastic production. 

For midstream, the project supports innovation to extend product lifespans where plastics are necessary, by fostering reusable or recyclable products and circular systems, such as reuse, refill, repair, resell, and repurpose. The project aims to reduce unnecessary consumption of plastics by consumers and businesses, particularly for short-lived products. 

Upstream solutions

Alix Grabowski, senior director for plastic and material science at WWF, tells Packaging Insights: “To date, the majority of investment in solutions to the plastic pollution crisis goes to waste management. Plastic Reboot is filling a critical gap by focusing on upstream and midstream interventions, which are high impact but also require more collaborative approaches to implement.”

Plastic pollution in F&B sector is a waste problem and a design, systems, and equity challenge, according to WWF.“There is a broad array of upstream interventions that reduce plastic waste at the source, including policy interventions that change incentives and encourage reduction, reuse systems that replace single-use plastic, and alternative materials that can be substituted for plastic.” 

“Each of these solutions is complex and needs to be implemented with care to be successful. Plastic Reboot is working at global and national levels to fit the right solutions to the right conditions and applications, for practical, scalable results.”

Combating pollution

The “Plastic Reboot Project: Circular Solutions for Plastic Pollution in South Africa” is an effort to promote innovation and collaboration between stakeholders. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) acting as the international implementation agency.

Evelyn Swain, GEF Plastic Reboot Lead, says: “Plastic Reboot is the GEF’s largest effort on plastics to date, aiming to transform the largest source of plastic waste, plastic packaging from the F&B sector, into a circular system.” 

“With this ambitious US$108 million GEF program, we are working across the world, partnering with governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and experts to build systems that will keep plastic out of nature and prevent plastic pollution on all fronts.”

Levy Maduse, Acting UNIDO Representative, comments: “Through this collaboration, it is expected not only to help mitigate challenges addressing plastic pollution in South Africa but also to contribute to global environmental benefits, including mitigation of GHG emissions across the plastic life cycle, and decreased releases of persistent organic pollutants from the burning of plastic waste.”

“In addition, the project is expected to foster healthier communities and create jobs across genders in South Africa.”The project suggests that business, government, civil society, and the informal sector need to work together to eliminate pollution.

Collaboration between science and business

In South Africa, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment will be the national focal point for the project. As the execution agency, WWF South Africa will collaborate with partners, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and GreenCape, to transform the way plastic is designed, used, and managed across the entire packaging value chain.

Although the project will not directly fund downstream activities, such as collection, segregation, recycling, incineration, landfill, residue disposal, or environmental clean-ups, its upstream and midstream measures are designed to synergize with and complement those existing efforts.

Anton Nahman, principal environmental economist at CSIR, adds: “Scientific evidence is critical for identifying solutions to the plastic pollution crisis that are effective, relevant to the South African context, and that avoid unforeseen negative consequences.”

“Downstream solutions such as improved waste management and recycling, while important, will not be enough on their own to address the challenge of plastic pollution. A system-wide approach is needed, with all role-players working toward a common vision.”