Manikam Michael Nadar
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Manduth Ramchander
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Raveen Rathilall
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Kishan Singh
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
In this post, we present a brief overview of our recently published book chapter titled “The Effects of Humane Entrepreneurship on Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises’ Performance”
Following the gazetting of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries & Environment (DFFE) on 5 November 2021, the South African packaging industry was required to demonstrate continual, year-on-year improvements in the recovery and reuse of post-consumer packaging materials. The DFFE set a target recovery rate for post-consumer metal packaging of 59% for 2022, with a planned increase to 67% by 2026. For comparison, the 2022 DFFE target of 59% was notably lower than the 2021 European benchmark of 78.5%.
Although metal possesses intrinsic value due to its high recyclability without degradation of its properties, the recovery rate of post-consumer metal packaging in South Africa has stagnated over the past two decades, with little to no projected growth. This trend indicates that South Africa’s metal packaging recovery rate lags significantly behind that of Europe. Based on the current post-consumer metal packaging recovery systems in South Africa, the DFFE’s recovery targets are unlikely to be achieved unless strong and effective interventions are implemented to address the projected shortfall of 9.19%.
South Africa’s current post-consumer metal packaging recovery system relies heavily on unemployed informal waste pickers, a dependence that renders the system structurally unsustainable. Comparative studies from developing economies, including Mozambique, Ghana, and Tanzania, emphasise the vital role of informal waste pickers, the necessity for improved waste management infrastructure, and the importance of addressing legislative gaps to advance circular economy models. This suggests that the metal packaging industry benefits substantially from the labour of informal waste pickers, raising concerns regarding social responsibility and equitable inclusion within the value chain.
The study aimed to propose a model to improve the recovery and recycling rates, as well as the data reporting integrity, of post-consumer metal packaging in South Africa. The intention is to enhance the metal packaging circular economy in alignment with global sustainable development principles and South African legislation.
The key objectives of the study are as follows:
i. To evaluate the current South African post-consumer metal packaging recovery model against global best-practice models through the deployment of two qualitative surveys.
ii. To assess the reliability of the current South African post-consumer metal packaging data acquisition and reporting systems through the deployment of two qualitative surveys.
The research questions derived from these objectives are:
i. How effective is the post-consumer metal packaging recovery model in South Africa?
ii. How accurate and reliable are the South African post-consumer metal packaging data acquisition and reporting systems?