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In January 1997 the Plastics Federation of South Africa`s Environmental Committee, together with key players in the industry, embarked on a campaign involving the entire plastics industry to make a meaningful contribution toward environmental responsibility and meet the funding requirements for the various projects, which had expanded to the point where normal Federation sources no longer sufficed. This campaign centred around a logo - the Plastics Enviromark - registered in the name of the Plastics Federation of South Africa, which participants now use under licence.
Participants in the programme were able to express their commitment by using the logo on their plastics products and also on stationery, marketing and advertising material.
This initiative is essentially the exclusive use of a logo by Enviromark licensees (raw material suppliers, plastics converters, certain retailers, Toyota and certain plastics associations who contract to support the programme. The organisations subscribing to the Plastics Enviromark are able to express their commitment to environmental responsibility by use of the logo on their stationery and products. The licensing fee is used by the Plastics Federation to fund the various environmentally orientated projects and activities. It is noteworthy that some 80% of the plastics packaging industry are currently contributing to this programme.
The majority of environmental programmes over recent years have been expressly intended to educate and raise awareness. The following are some of the more important ones:
- Polymer Identification
- Environmental Publications
- Video Programmes
- A wide range of specific school and community programmes supporting environmental initiatives in these institutions.
- Financial support of educational and environment bodies - on some occasions in partnership with DEAT (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism)
- Major sponsor of Keep South Africa Beautiful (KSAB) for two and a half years. Specific programmes during this time are estimated to have reached some 250 000 school children.
- Programmes to encourage the re-use of plastics products.
- Major current initiatives are the "Three-Bag-System", which has been commissioned at various newly launched Garden Drop-off Centres, and the Green Cage Project.
- Plastics Recycling
The Environmental Initiative has �?€?“ from the very beginning �?€?“ strongly promoted plastics recycling and the local plastics recycling industry.
South Africa has been a world leader in the recycling of plastics. The first entrants to this market nearly thirty years ago were decades ahead of their time and pioneered technology and equipment for the rest of the world. The plastics recycling sector in South Africa today is very competitive with 100 plus operations nationally.
The quantity of post consumer plastics waste recovered and recycled each year equates to approximately 13% of the virgin polymer converted (nearly three times the level achieved in first world countries) and over 30% of the actual packaging polymers used in South Africa.
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