South Africa’s push to tackle plastic waste has entered a new phase with the election of a fresh Steering Committee at the South African Plastics Pact, the voluntary industry body now steering members toward a set of ambitious 2030 circular economy targets. For ordinary citizens, the stakes are tangible: the packaging that ends up in kerbside bins, streets and waterways, and the recycling systems that determine whether plastic becomes a resource or a pollutant.
The incoming committee will represent Pact members, direct the work of the Secretariat, GreenCape, and take the strategic decisions needed as the initiative shifts to its 2030 goals. Those targets, formally approved under the previous committee, set out a clear agenda for the packaging on South African shelves. They include a 20% intensity reduction in virgin fossil-fuel-based packaging through increased recycled content, action on problematic items and the introduction of widespread reuse and refill systems. They also call for 100% of rigid plastic packaging and 70% of flexible plastic packaging to be designed for recyclability, alongside a 55% output recycling rate for plastic packaging.
The committee’s composition is built around fair representation and joint leadership across the entire plastics value chain. Newly onboarded members span brand owners Maritza van Dyk of PepsiCo SA and Yase Godlo of Unilever; retailers Vaughan Pierce of Pick n Pay and Ralph Jewson of Woolworths; converters Michelle Penlington of Polyoak Packaging and Shivern Reddy of CCL Label SA; recyclers Johann Conradie of Myplas and Chandru Wadhwani of Extrupet; Joe Stead of Spur Corporation for hospitality and food service; and Luyanda Hlatshwayo of the African Reclaimers Organisation for waste collectors. Government is present too, through Pamela Nxumalo of the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and Alison Evans of the City of Cape Town, while Janine Osborne of Sustainable Seas Trust represents non-profit organisations. Pact Network Conveners Andrea Cantu of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Andrea Cino of WRAP complete the group.
The outgoing committee handed over a substantial record. Since 2024, under its guidance, the Pact published the 2024 Impact Report and the Design for Circularity Guide, launched the Plastic Reboot, South Africa project, and approved the new 2030 targets. Member companies, meanwhile, delivered measurable results that speak directly to public concerns about plastic pollution. Problematic plastic items fell by 35%, meaning 55 million fewer such items placed on the market. Poorly recyclable packaging dropped by 82%. Recycled content used in packaging rose by 300% since the Pact’s inception in 2020, and tonnages of recyclable packaging on the market increased by 28%.
“Under Blain van Wyk’s leadership, the previous steering committee deserve great credit. They were able to guide the Pact’s progress with significant impact, including strengthening our collaboration with the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment,” the Pact noted in acknowledging the handover.
The new committee has already set out its vision. “The imminent publication of our 2030 Roadmap lays out the pathway and strategy for the work to come. Our 2030 targets are ambitious and will further drive industry’s progress towards creating a circular economy for plastic packaging in the country, thereby stimulating job creation and driving local investment into the packaging market,” the committee stated.
For the new chair, Ralph, the role aligns closely with corporate sustainability commitments. “Woolworths’s vision is to be one of the world’s most responsible retailers, with sustainability at the core to our business. Packaging and waste form one of eight core focus areas of our Good Business Journey and it is with this in mind that I look forward to contributing towards the direction of the Pact moving forward,” he said following his election.
As the 2030 Roadmap nears publication, the committee’s task will be to turn those targets into everyday change for South African consumers, communities and the environment they share.