Fast-tracking growth potential

Role players and decision-makers in the South African plastics industry made use of the opportunity to air their views on matters relating to the growth of the industry, sustainability and recycling during the first-ever, industry-specific conference held at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. The one-day conference entitled, “Plastics: The Future for Growth” was hosted by Plastics|SA, the umbrella body for the local plastics industry and attracted more than 300 delegates.

According to Plastics|SA Executive Director, Anton Hanekom,  the event drew participants from various sectors making up the local  plastics industry. “Although the majority (36 percent) of the audiencewere involved in the supply of raw materials, we had good representation from plastics  converters (22 percent), recyclers (10 percent), machine suppliers (2 percent) and other interested sectors such as government, the media and the general public who were eager to learn more and participate in the discussions,” Mr. Hanekom says.

Learning from international best practice

Delivering the keynote address was Dr WilfriedHaensel, Executive Director of Plastics Europe. His speech, “Plastics and the world we live in: lessons learnt”, focused on the plastics industry from a European perspective, although he pointed out that “plastics is a global affair and there are sure to be similarities in the different regions”.

The rest of the day’s discussionswere focused around three topical debates. The panelists who were invited to participate in the debates were considered experts in their respective fields and didn’t necessarily share the same point of view on topics relating to exports and imports, marketing the industry, sustainability and recycling, training and skills development.

Growing the South African plastics industry

The audience was quick to rise to the occasion and did not hold back when asked to send in their views or suggestions. When asked what they felt would most grow the local plastics industry, 38 percentof the audience members felt that innovation, developing new products and technology would offer the most opportunities. Natural gas utilisation and becoming competitive followed closely, along with the local industry and government supporting a culture of exports.

The areas that the audience felt offered the most growth potential in the local plastics industry was packaging (45 percent), followed by engineering, building and construction (24 percent) and transport and automotive (11 percent).

The audience members agreed that the South African plastics industry as a whole needs to become more original and innovative. “There are a host of small companies making the same product. Industry should be thinking about how it can diversify and enter a more niche market with an original product. This will decrease competition and increase innovation,” Mr. Hanekomadded. 

The second debate of the day took a closer look at the issue of food packaging and what impacts it in the South African context. Explains Mr. Hanekom: “Packaging has come to symbolise the issue of waste in our modern day society.  Looking at the issue of plastic packaging specifically, we know  that it ensures hygiene and reduces the risk of product wastage due to contamination, providing a physical barrier between a product and the external environment. Unfortunately, however, such convenience has come at an environmental price and the rise in environmental consciousness in recent decadAir Foamposite Max