KENYA – Africa’s leading plastic and packaging solutions provider, Silafrica has joined the New Plastics Economy initiative by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, strengthening its commitment to establish a global circular economy.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a UK registered charity which aims to inspire a generation to re-think, re-design & build a positive future through the framework of a circular economy.
The foundation with members across the globe including Tetra Pak, Danone, Coca-Cola, Nestle among many others, seeks to drive momentum to reach its goal by eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models.
Also, it seeks to promote Innovation to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025.
Further to that it aims to circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products.
“If stakeholders and supply partners throughout the industry continue to make commitments like these, we will collectively realize a circular economy.”
Akshay Shah – Group Executive Director at Silafrica
In support of the Foundation’s objectives, Silafrica is working to also achieve a goal of 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025, with at least 40% of their product made from recycled plastic.
The company has been a sustainable plastics packaging producer of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging for the food, beverage, personal & home care, and chemicals brands in East Africa.
Silafrica is well known for their Crates, PET Preform & Closures for Beverages, Thinwall IML for Spreads & Yogurt, Containers for Paint & Oils, and Stretch Wrap for B2B logistics. Currently, 10% of its product is post-consumer recycled content.
“Everyone in our organization is proud to be working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and share in their commitment to eliminate plastic waste and create a sustainable future for our planet,” stated Akshay Shah, Group Executive Director at Silafrica.
As part of their commitment to being a member of the Foundation, Silafrica plans to screen their portfolio for areas of concern and unnecessary categories of plastic packaging for elimination and publish the outcome.
The company currently recycles more than 1,600 tons/yr of secondary industrial packaging and plans to increase the amount to 5,000 tons/yr by adding more crates, pallets and other non-packaging products.
“If stakeholders and supply partners throughout the industry continue to make commitments like these, we will collectively realize a circular economy envisioned by all the signatories to the Global Commitment of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.” Akshay Shah concludes,
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was created in 2010 to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
South Africa’s newly launched SA Plastic Pact, aimed to tackle plastic waste and pollution joined Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact global network in February last year.
The founding members of the Pact are the Clicks Group, Coca-Cola Africa, Danone,Distell, HomeChoice, Massmart, Myplas, Nampak Rigids, Pick n Pay, Polyoak, Polyplank, Shoprite Group, SPAR, Spur Corporation, TFG, Tigerbrands, Tuffy, Unilever, ADDIS, Waste Plan and Woolworths.
By 2025, all members commit to take action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (re-use) delivery models.
In addition to that, they aim that 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable while 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled and 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
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