South Africa Coatings Industry, Climate Change and Plastic Pollution

Greenhouse gas (GHG) caused by high fossil fuel and poor waste management practices are two of the leading challenges facing Africa’s coatings industry, and hence the urgency of innovating sustainable solutions that not only safeguard the sustainability of the industry but assure manufacturers and players along the value chain of minimal business expenditure and high earnings.

Experts now call for increased focus on energy consumption and pre-consumption practices when it comes to packaging to reduce disposable waste if the region is to effectively contribute to net zero by 2050 and expand the circularity of the coating industry’s value chain.

South Africa
In South Africa, the heavy reliance on fossil-driven energy sources to power coating plants’ operations and an absence of well-regulated and enforceable waste disposal procedures have forced some of the country’s coating companies to opt for investments in clean energy supply and packaging solutions that can be re-used and recycled by both the manufacturers as well as their consumers.

For instance, Cape Town-based Polyoak Packaging, a company which specializes in the design and manufacture of environmentally responsible rigid plastic packaging for food, beverage and industrial applications, says climate change and plastic pollution, which are partially attributed to the manufacturing sector including the coatings industry, are two of world’s “wicked problems” but for which solutions are available for innovative coatings market players.

Cohn Gibb, the company’s sales manager, said in Johannesburg in June 2024 the energy sector accounts for more than 75% of greenhouse gas emissions with the global energy derived from fossil fuels. In South Africa, fossil fuels account for up to 91% of the country’s total energy compared to 80% globally with coal dominating the national electricity supply.

“South Africa is the 13th biggest greenhouse gas emitter globally with the most carbon-intensive energy sector of G20 countries,” he says.

Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, “is a top global producer of GHG as it emits more sulphur dioxide than US and China combined,” Gibb observes.

The high emissions of sulphur dioxide have implications for South Africa’s manufacturing process and systems triggering the necessity for clean energy options.
The desire to support global efforts to reduce fossil fuel-driven emissions and cut down on own operational costs, as well as mitigate the persistent loadshedding imposed by Eskom costs, has driven Polyoak to renewable energy that would see the company generate nearly 5.4 million kwh annually.

The generated clean energy “would save 5,610 tons of CO2 emissions annually that would require 231,000 trees a year to absorb,” Gibb says.

Although the new renewable energy investment is inadequate to support Polyoak’s operations, the company has in the meantime invested in generators to ensure uninterrupted power supply during loadshedding for optimum production efficiencies.

Elsewhere, Gibb says South Africa is one of the countries with the worst waste management practices in the world and it would take packaging innovation solutions by coatings manufacturers to reduce the amount non-reusable and non-recyclable waste in a country where up to 35% of households have no form of waste collection. A large share of waste generated is illegally dumped and disposed of in reivers often expanding informal settlements, according to Gibb.

Reusable Packaging
The biggest waste management challenge comes from plastics and coatings packaging firms and suppliers have an opportunity to reduce the burden on the environment through long-lasting reusable packaging that can easily be recycled if need be.

In 2023, South Africa’s Department of Forestry and Fisheries and the Environment developed the country’s packaging guideline that covers four categories of packaging material streams of metals, glass, paper and plastics.

The guideline, the department said, is to help “reduce the volume of packaging ending up in landfill sites by improving product design, increasing quality of production practices and promoting waste prevention.”

“One of the key objectives of this packaging guideline is to assist designers in all forms of packaging with a better understanding of the environmental implications of their design decisions, thus promoting good environmental practices without restricting choice,” said former DFFE minister Creecy Barbara, who has since been moved to department of transport.

At Polyoak, Gibb says, the company’s management has been pushing ahead with its paper packaging that focuses on the “reuse of cartons to save trees.” Polyoak’s cartons are made from food grade carton board for safety reasons.

“On average it takes 17 trees to produce one ton of carbon board,” says Gibb.
“Our carton return scheme facilitates the reuse of each carton for an average five times,” he adds, citing the 2021 milestone of buying 1600 tons of new cartons, reusing them thus saving 6,400 trees.”

Gibb estimates in more than a year, reusing cartons saves 108,800 trees, equivalent to one million trees in 10 years.

The DFFE estimates more than 12 million tons of paper and paper packaging have been recovered for recycling in the country in the last 10 years with the government saying more than 71% of recoverable paper and packaging was collected in 2018, amounting to 1,285 million tons.

But the biggest challenge facing South Africa, as is in many African countries, is the increasing unregulated disposal of plastics, especially plastic pellets or nurdles.

“The plastic industry must prevent the spillage of plastic pellets, flakes or powders into the environment from manufacturing and distribution facilities,” said Gibb.

Currently, Polyoak is running a campaign dubbed ‘catch that pellet drive’ aimed at preventing plastic pellets before they enter South Africa’s stormwater drains.

“Unfortunately, plastic pellets are mistaken as tasty meals to many fish and birds after slipping through the stormwater drains where they make their way into our rivers traveling downstream into the ocean and eventually washing up onto our beaches.”

The plastic pellets originate from microplastics derived from tire dust and microfiber from washing and tumble drying of nylon and polyester clothing.

At least 87% of microplastics have been traded road markings (7%), microfibers (35%), city dust (24%), tires (28%) and nurdles (0.3%).

The situation is likely to persist as DFFE says South Africa has “no large-scale post-consumer waste management programs for the separation and processing of biodegradable and compostable packaging.

“As a consequence, these materials have no intrinsic value to formal or informal waste collectors, so the products are likely to remain in the environment or at best, end up at landfill,” DFFE said.

This is despite the existence of Consumer Protection Act Sections 29 and 41 and Standards Act 2008 Sections 27(1) & {2) that prohibit false, misleading or deceptive claims regarding product ingredients or performance characteristics as well as businesses from falsely claiming or operating in a manner that is likely “to create the impression that products comply with a South African National Standard or other publications of the SABS.”

In the short to medium term, DFFE urges companies to reduce the environmental impact of products and services through their whole life cycle “as climate change and sustainability are society's biggest challenges today, it is paramount for.”