plastic free Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

16Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy, South Africa News

FORTIS X has launched Africa’s first biodegradable and recyclable plant-based packaging

An estimated 122 million tons of waste is produced annually in South Africa, however only 10% of it is recycled, with the other 90% discarded in landfills; and a mere 12,9% of all metropolitan households in South Africa claim to recycle their waste. This is the bleak reality we face this Plastic Free July®, a month where millions of people worldwide are inspired by this year’s theme to take “small steps and make a big difference’”, as part of the global solution to halt the use of single-use plastic. The combination of Africa’s growing population and rapid urbanisation is attributed to the rise of single-use plastic and sadly, the plastic tap isn’t close to running dry. Not only is plastic litter blamed for killing more than 100,000 sea mammals and turtles and 1 million birds annually...

Unlocking a Refill and Reuse Revolution within Kenya’s Food & Beverage Industry

1Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Kenya News

Unlocking a Refill and Reuse Revolution within Kenya’s Food & Beverage Industry

In the city's bustling lifestyle, takeout packaging in the Food & Beverage industry has to be among the most convenient inventions. As you rush out of the house early on your way to a career-deciding meeting, you pass by your favorite coffee shop and pick up a coffee to-go. It is conveniently packed in an innovative paper cup with a plastic lid. After having your coffee, you responsibly dispose of the cup, hoping it gets to the recyclers, especially the plastic lid, and not in a landfill. Now, assume that there were 100 people with a similar morning routine at one coffee shop in an area with ten shops. In one day, we would possibly have over 1,000 plastic coffee cup lids, which could contribute to the over 1 Million tons of plastic waste produced in Kenya annually. How can we revers...

Government Endorses Elimination of Problematic Plastics by the Kenya Plastics Pact

15Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Kenya News

Government Endorses Elimination of Problematic Plastics by the Kenya Plastics Pact

The Kenya Plastics Pact has published a list of problematic and unnecessary plastic items to be eliminated in Kenya. This adds to the already existing Government’s plastic bag ban that came into force in 2017, and the ban on selected single-use plastic items in protected areas since June 2020. The priority list supports a collective plan to meet the target of phasing out problematic and unnecessary plastic items by 2030 and has been endorsed by the Government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and thirty-nine Kenya Plastics Pact business members and supporters. The priority list is disaggregated into plastic packaging items, non-packaging plastic items, and additives. The plastic packaging items listed include all polystyrene (PS) packaging, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rigid p...

7Oct

By Josephine WawiraNo Comments

African News, Kenya News

Kenya Plastics Pact launches to tackle plastics waste in the country

An ambitious, new collaborative initiative to tackle plastics waste and pollution has today launched in Kenya. The Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP) will bring together stakeholders across the plastics value chain to create a circular economy for plastics. The Pact brings together businesses, governments, researchers, NGOs, civil society, informal waste sector players, and other stakeholders across the whole plastics value chain, to set time-bound commitments to transform the current linear plastics system into a circular plastics economy. Plastics waste and pollution have captured the attention of businesses, governments, and citizens in Kenya. Today, published data shows that only 8% of plastic is recycled, with the remainder being landfilled or incinerated – or in the worst-case scenario, endi...

22Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business

Ceres invests in a sustainable future by contributing to plastic waste reduction efforts

Johannesburg – Today, Ceres Fruit Juices announced the introduction of an initiative aimed at reducing plastic waste and has invited Craig Foster, award winning producer of the documentary: My Octopus Teacher, to participate in a roundtable highlighting the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment. Plastic waste management is a growing concern across the globe, with plastic drinking straws identified as a major contributor to this problem. Martin Neethling, PepsiCo Sub-Saharan Africa Chief Marketing Officer explains, “A major challenge with plastic straws is that they are too lightweight to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter and therefore difficult to recycle. The only way to tackle this problem is to move away from plastic straws altogether. Hence Ceres’ introducti...

Towards a circular economy for plastics, where it does not become waste

3Jul

By Josephine WawiraNo Comments

Kenya News, Main

Towards a circular economy for plastics, where it does not become waste

Plastic, plastic, plastic everywhere! Not a place you can turn to without being greeted by the sight of plastic. Plastic is a doubled edged sword. It is very much a part of our lives, being a packaging material for many of the products we consume and also being a primary or secondary raw material for many items including electronics, furniture, motor vehicles, planes and ships. Its affordability and availability makes it the natural go to for manufacturers and producers seeking to maximize return on investment. At the same time, plastic presents serious challenges to almost every nation. Just what do you do with plastic when you no longer need it? Hide it, burn it, bury it, dump it or simply toss it away? Each of these choices comes with a steep price on ecosystem health and environmental ...

4Apr

By Josephine WawiraNo Comments

Business, Kenya News, Main

Why a Plastics Pact is recipe for better environmental management practices

The year is 2016, outside a busy supermarket in one of Nairobi’s estates. Shoppers flow in and out carrying their groceries and other shopping items with plastic carrier bags. These are the order of the day, but their pollution to the environment is devastating. A year later in 2017, the Kenyan government would enact the ban on production, sale and use of plastics carrier bags. The ban is considered one of the sternest in the world and whose success rate is now recorded at approximately 80%. Fast forward to 2021, we have made tremendous strides in the fight against plastic pollution as a nation, with a ban on specific single use plastics in all protected areas taking effect from June 2020. There are also ongoing and ambitious plastics initiatives in the country, such as the Kenya Plastic A...

Managing the end-of-life of products to accelerate a circular economy in Kenya

19Dec

By Josephine WawiraNo Comments

Kenya News

Managing the end-of-life of products to accelerate a circular economy in Kenya

Studies have shown that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Marine life will be at risk if we do not act to mitigate the improper disposal of plastic. As the world continues struggling with proper waste management, different solutions have been suggested and adopted to manage the end-of-life of products, especially plastic and electronics. In Kenya, plastic waste disposal remains a major challenge. Plastic litter and dumped waste are degrading the environment— the impact of plastic pollution is felt across the world, with over 8 million tonnes of plastic finding its way into oceans every year. Even more troubling is that less than 10% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled, while 79% ends up in landfills, dumps, or the natural environment. With the inc...