Sustainability & Waste management

With a rapidly growing population, adopting sustainable production practices on a global scale is an imperative to safeguard the future of our planet. The food supply chain is certainly one area where there is urgent need for improved sustainability. Without food – this precious resource currently being wasted across the supply chain – society as […]

From January 2020 the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) will no longer be allowed to be used in making thermal paper in the European Union. In response, UPM Raflatac has announced its portfolio of thermal label papers and films is now BPA-free. Moreover, the company is providing total phenol-free thermal label paper options.

Proudly South African company Denny Mushrooms is thrilled to announce that from 29 November it will package its sustainable mushrooms in 100 per cent compostable punnets for selected Spars around the country.

The South African Initiative to End Plastic Waste has already made important progress in its efforts to find workable solutions that will end plastic from polluting the environment.

BiobiN is the new waste management system in South Africa that brings an easy solution for diverting food and organic waste away from landfill sites by composting. BiobiN has been carefully designed to reduce odours, flies and rodents. ‘By having a BiobiN on your premises, not only are you able to produce high quality compost, […]

Tate & Lyle, a leading global provider of food and beverage solutions, gathered more than 80 members of the value chain together in Lafayette, Indiana to discuss opportunities to collaborate and bolster sustainable agriculture.

Unilever UK and Ireland’s leading ice cream brand Wall’s has partnered with Save the Children, Symrise and ME to WE. The initiative will allow consumers to see the real change Wall’s is making in the lives of young people in vanilla farming communities and at home.

Dozens of farmers and food companies, including Anheuser-Busch, MegaFood, Rick Clark (partnered with Danone North America) and Leah Penniman, are being recognised by national nonprofit Green America in honour of  World Food Day . Soil SuperHeroes are working to provide major solutions to the climate crisis by employing regenerative soil stewardship practices that build soil […]

To facilitate efforts by companies to think about their product packaging with reuse and recycling in mind, the PET Plastic Recycling Company (PETCO) has released a definitive guide to packaging design, created specifically for the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) manufacturing sector.

We are in the midst of a food waste crisis, and the world must respond to reverse its impact before it is too late.

While you may think you know what the word ‘sustainability’ means for your business, in reality it isn’t just about introducing environmental initiatives nor is it about standalone Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.

With the planet at a ‘tipping point’, civil society, industry and public sector have to take urgent collective action to reduce plastic, eliminate waste and ensure food and water security, experts said at the opening of IFAT Africa, food & drink technology (fdt) Africa and analytica Lab Africa this month.

Large amounts of citrus and grape by-products that are normally treated as waste and generally disposed of in landfills could potentially be used in the production of natural food preservatives.

Although there is a heightened awareness and pressure from consumers and supermarkets, particularly in Europe, at the moment, to limit plastics and other carbon-emission heavy items, Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, and many in the South African apple and pear industry, have for some years now been actively working to reduce the environmental cost of fruit production.

SAB has developed a waste recovery programme in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, supporting 54 previously unemployed young men and women organised into registered co-operatives and managing their own waste recycling businesses.

Plastics|SA has released the plastics recycling figures for the year ending 2017. For the seventh year in a row, the recycling of plastic has continued to grow.

When Sheree Adonis (20) graduated from high school in 2015, she had dreams of finding a job and starting a career. But job opportunities in her home town of Mamre, a community living about 30 kilometres north of the City of Cape Town, were few and far between. Despite applying for jobs via the internet, […]

Conversation about environmental practices and the behaviour of individuals and businesses when it comes to sustainability are making headlines. The City of Johannesburg announced a new programme compelling residents to separate waste at its source as of 1 July to not only curb the environmental impact within the city, but also manage rapidly decreasing landfill […]

South Africa’s success with the collection and recycling of post-consumer polystyrene continues to grow. This is owing to combined efforts by collectors and recyclers around the country. In spite of the difficulty in recycling plastic, polystyrene figures have increased over the past eight years.

On 16 May, Sealed Air hosted an event at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, to address sustainability issues for primary packaging. The event included a number of discussions by company representatives. The Sealed Air team show the latest skin packs launched with Stockdale alongside Valentino Branchi, sales director for the Middle East and Africa, and Marteau […]

Food wastage is a global problem. Roughly a third of all the food produced for human consumption around the world is lost or wasted, according to estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). If just a fourth of this food could be saved, the report states, it could feed 870 […]

The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) encourages both the recycling of glass bottles and jars as well as the return of reusable glass bottles to retailers and traders.

The multinational food packaging and processing company aims to launch a paper straw for its portion-sized carton packs by the end of this year. This is part of a broader programme to help address the issue of plastic straw waste.

Plastics|SA has released a series of new radio and television adverts addressing the issue of plastic litter in marine environments.

About 2.15 billion plastic bottles, weighing in at 93 235t, were recycled by the South African PET plastic industry in 2017. This resulted in saving 578 000m3  of landfill space. It also created 64 000 income-generating opportunities in the process.

The Coca-Cola Company recently announced it will be reshaping its approach to packaging. The beverage giant set a global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 per cent of its packaging by 2030.

Africa has one of the most diverse food and cuisine markets on the planet, with the industry projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. However, with the increase in diversity and interest in food across the continent, many countries are beginning to experience the impact and fallout of such a booming industry. Here Polly Duffee, […]

For the fourth consecutive year, Firmenich is pleased to announce its ranking on CDP’s Supplier Climate A List, among the top two per cent of corporations participating in the program. Adding to its “A List” for Water, this recognition confirms Firmenich’s position as a world leader for its actions and strategies in response to climate […]

Sustainability and environmental management play an important role in the food industry. Nevertheless, regardless of how efficiently the machines work and how resource-friendly they produce, at the end of the day the manufacturers are still faced with the question: What to do with the waste materials that are left over? Anuga FoodTec from 20 to […]

Holidaymakers in South Africa’s drought-stricken areas looking for a healthy, guilt-free alternative to the tap when it comes to slaking their thirst and staying hydrated should reach for bottled water this year.