SOUTH AFRICA – Nampak Liquid Cartons, manufacturer of unique Conipak carton and wide range of Pure-Pak cartons, has show its support in fighting plastic pollution in the ocean by backing an initiative by endurance athlete Sarah Ferguson dubbed #OneOceanSwim.
The event undertaken in collaboration with Breathe Conservation and One Ocean Organisation, is a 1 500 kilometre-challenge that began on 21 February 2022.
The athlete will swim in stages from Durban to Cape Town over a period of a year, while highlighting South Africa’s beautiful coastline and the importance of protecting our oceans now more than ever.
She will become the first person ever to swim from Durban to Cape Town, in an eco-conservation initiative to raise public awareness around plastic pollution.
“We support Sarah in her epic endeavour as she heightens awareness around pollution and marine conservation. Our sponsorship of #OneOceanSwim reflects Nampak Liquid Cartons’ commitment to the environment and efforts to divert waste from our beaches and oceans,” says Raymond Dube, Managing Director of Nampak Liquid Cartons.
South Africa generates around 107.7 million tonnes of waste annually, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, or harmfully leaking into the environment, including oceans and beaches.
Switching to more sustainable packaging solutions is one step towards minimising our environmental impact.
Liquid paperboard cartons, for example, are renewable and recyclable, which help to contribute to a circular economy and reduce landfill waste.
“We need a behaviour shift in consumption and waste management if we are to ensure a better future for our planet.
“At Nampak Liquid Cartons, we acknowledge that we have a responsibility to provide products that are more sustainable and encourage consumers to make informed choices when it comes to packaging and the disposal thereof,” adds Dube.
South Africa stops marine litter at its source
To further curb the waste pollution menace especially in water bodies, the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries joined forces with local officials, non-profit groups, like Coastwatch and Durban Green Corridors, and Plastics SA, a privately-owned company, to stem the flow of marine litter in five river systems in Kwazulu-Natal in 2020.
Through increased litter collection and community-led waste sorting and recycling, the department aimed to reduce litter generation at its source, thereby lessening the amount of pollution that reaches the ocean.
Litter booms, barriers that collect floating debris, were installed in the uMngeni, uMlazi, uMbilo, uMhlatuzana, and aManzimnyama rivers.
The booms have the added benefit of trapping invasive species, like the exotic water hyacinth, before they take root in waterways.
The department also implemented a waste sorting and recycling programme in one community per river. One possibility being “swop-shops” where community members trade the recyclable litter for essentials.
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