“Everyone in our organization is proud to be working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and share in their commitment to eliminate plastic waste and create a sustainable future for our planet,” stated Akshay Shah, Group Executive Director at Silafrica.
As part of their commitment to being a member of the Foundation, Silafrica plans to screen their portfolio for areas of concern and unnecessary categories of plastic packaging for elimination and publishing the outcome. The Company currently recycles more than 1,600 tons/yr. of secondary industrial packaging (i.e., crates) and plans to increase the amount to 5,000 tons/yr. by adding more crates, pallets and other non-packaging products that have a social impact towards improving low-income community quality of life and the natural environment.
The Foundation seeks to drive momentum to reach their goal, with their three key objectives being to:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models
- Innovate to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025
- Circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products
In support of the Foundation’s objectives, Silafrica is working to also achieve a goal of 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025, with at least 40% of their product made from recycled plastic. The Company has been a sustainable plastics packaging producer of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging for the food, beverage, personal & home care, and chemicals brands in East Africa. Silafrica is well known for their Crates, PET Preform & Closures for Beverages, Thinwall IML for Spreads & Yogurt, Containers for Paint & Oils, and Stretch Wrap for B2B logistics. Currently, 10% of its product is post-consumer recycled content.
Akshay Shah concludes, “If stakeholders and supply partners throughout the industry continue to make commitments like these, we will collectively realize a circular economy envisioned by all the signatories to the Global Commitment of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.”
