As Africa’s largest packaging manufacturer, Nampak is well known for developing packaging that gives identity to products, promotes brands, and contributes to the protection and prevention of product deterioration.
What many don’t know is that the company also develops packaging solutions for the environment, and believes that if progressed with due consideration to environmental efficiencies and recycling, appropriate packaging of a product can maintain high standards while preventing waste.

As such, the group participates in extensive recycling initiatives and continues to invest significant time and resources in the development of more sustainable products. And, because no discussion regarding packaging and the environment can escape a few facts and figures, Nampak has provided some interesting pieces of environmentally friendly information across their metals, paper, plastics and glass packaging solutions:

Metals

As Africa’s leading supplier of beverage cans, Nampak says that Southern Africa is a world leader in steel beverage cans recovery rates at 72%, with South Africa ranking sixth worldwide in terms of recovery rates. These figures make the can the most successfully recycled primary packaging in South Africa, exceeding the latest published rates for the United States and most European countries.

Within South Africa, Collect-a-Can, which is a joint venture with Nampak and Arcelor Mittal, is the main body for collecting and recycling used beverage cans. Collect-a-Can creates an incentive for people to collect cans, where it is estimated that Over R400 million has been paid to collectors over the last 12 years.
In terms of source reduction, the weight of the 340 ml beverage can has also reduced drastically over the years, from 73 g in 1995 to 31 g today.

Paper

The recycling rate for the recovery of paper as a percentage of recoverable paper in South Africa is roughly 58.6% as reported by the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa for 2008 going into 2009. In 2009 Nampak itself collected and recycled some 220 000 tons of waste paper and board.

Nampak’s cartons businesses in Europe as well as Nampak Cartons & Labels in Epping also subscribe to the Forest Stewardship Council (“FSC”, [Status]), which provides global standards for forest management. As part of this process, forest products (used for Nampak’s paperboard cartons, [Status]) are tracked through processing, conversion, distribution and printing. The certifications provide a credible guarantee to Nampak customers that carton products purchased with the FSC logo originate from well-managed forests, controlled sources and/or reclaimed material.

Plastics

As a large source of their packaging, Nampak’s Plastics divisions continue to participate in the Enviromark and other initiatives driven by the South African Plastics Federation. The Enviromark’s main focus is on plastics education for the public (especially the youth, [Status]), as well as national clean-up campaigns. Nampak’s executives are also active at both the Plastics Convertors Association and the Plastics Federal Council in assisting with various Enviromark initiatives.

Nampak was one of the founding members of Petco, an industry-driven and financed company specialising in the recycling of PET bottles and products. Petco’s main objective is ongoing consumer and public awareness of recycling initiatives, and Nampak remains active within this organisation. There are many end-uses for recycled PET in the form of Staple fibres (pillows, clothing and duvets, [Status]); and Geotextile fibres to name but a few, and Nampak continues to drive PET recycling.

In terms of PET products, Nampak’s focus is on source reduction and reusability. As such, the weight of the two-litre PET bottle for example has reduced from 68 g in 1979 to 54 g today. Nampak Polycyclers (part of Nampak Megapak, [Status]) also converts some 5 100 tons per annum of recycled polyethylene into crates, refuse bins and buckets.

Glass

Within South Africa, roughly 26% of glass produced is currently recycled. Nampak’s role regarding these positive figures, together with other industry players and government, was the restructuring of the South African glass recycling supply chain. In addition to this, Nampak is also a founding sponsor of the Glass Recycling Company, which aims to promote and increase the recovery rate of glass.

The Glass Recycling Company’s target is to increase glass recycling to 50% by 2013, from an original base of 25% in 2008. Currently Nampak Wiegand Glass uses up to 45% of cullet (recycled waste glass, [Status]) in their manufacturing process, thus reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The installation of a cullet sorting plant at Nampak Wiegand Glass earlier this year has also drastically increased Nampak’s capacity to process collected glass for recycling.
Back to top ^