South Africa joins global Plastics Pact network

The Plastics Pact Network has welcomed the South African Plastics Pact, a national initiative that brings together businesses, governments, and NGOs in South Africa to work together towards a circular economy for plastics.

The global Plastics Pact network has been expanding since the launch of The UK Plastics Pact in 2018, followed by France, Chile, and The Netherlands.

South African Plastics Pact members will jointly work towards 2025 targets, including taking action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging though redesign, innovation, or alternative delivery models.

Sander Defruyt, New Plastics Economy Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “The Ellen MacArthur Foundation welcomes the announcement of the South African Plastics Pact, the first of the African continent to join the global Plastics Pact network.”

“We are looking forward to supporting the government and industry of South Africa in driving real change towards a circular economy for plastic, by eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastic items, innovating to ensure that the plastics they do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating the plastic items they use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment.”

“Together we can create a world without plastic waste or pollution.”

Lorren de Kock, Circular Plastics Economy and Policy and Futures Unit for WWF South Africa, said; “The SA Plastics Pact has the advantage of working with an established recycling sector but there are challenges.”

“We’ll need to focus on smarter packaging design, alternative delivery models, and ways to increase the value of materials. Through the SA Plastic Pact, we can support the development of a secondary resource or circular economy in South Africa, which will drive investment in infrastructure, support livelihoods, and keep our environment free of plastic pollution.”

“We applaud the South African Plastics Pact signatories who are pioneers in taking the first step towards establishing a circular plastics economy nationally and in the region.”