South African Plastics Pact elects new steering committee

The South African Plastics Pact has elected a new Steering Committee to advance its 2030 circular economy targets. The initiative focuses on increasing plastic recycling rates and improving recyclable packaging design across the country.

Ralph Jewson, a project manager at Woolworths, has been appointed as the incoming chair, succeeding Blain van Wyk. The new committee is designed to represent the entire plastics value chain, including brand owners such as PepsiCo SA and Unilever, retailers like Pick n Pay, converters, recyclers, and waste collectors. Government representatives from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the City of Cape Town are also included.

The Pact’s previous leadership achieved several milestones, including a 35 percent reduction in problematic plastic items and an 82 percent reduction in poorly recyclable packaging. The new committee will oversee the implementation of the 2030 Roadmap, which includes a target to reduce the intensity of virgin fossil-fuel-based packaging by 20 percent.