Nampak, Africa’s largest packaging supplier, is well known for developing packaging that gives identity to products, promotes brands, and contributes to the protection and prevention of product deterioration. While effective product packaging is vital, Nampak also believes that if progressed with due consideration to environmental efficiencies and recycling, appropriate packaging of a product can maintain high standards while preventing waste. As such, the group participates in extensive recycling initiatives and continues to invest significant time and resources into the development of more sustainable products. This requires constant innovation from Nampak’s various divisions across the paper, plastics, metals and glass packaging substrates:

Paper

Constant work is done by Nampak to establish new or different sources of raw material as potential recyclable waste paper, including identification of paper that is currently unsuitable for recycling.
Nampak’s cartons plants have also aligned their purchasing strategies so that they are able to participate in the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification, which tracks certified material through all successive stages of manufacturing and distribution, from the forest to the consumer. This enables Nampak to meet customer requirements and to provide end-users of products with assurance that they are environmentally friendly.

Nampak’s Corrugated division has also increased the portion of recycled paper in its board and ultimately its corrugated products. Additionally, research continues to be conducted by Nampak on strength tests between recycled and virgin material to determine an optimal level of recycled content, so as to include as much of it as possible. The evaluation of coating materials to replace wax impregnation of board has also been undertaken, and wax has subsequently been replaced with Hydraban coating from an international supplier, which results in greater recyclability of used corrugated products.

Plastics

For plastics, Nampak’s plastics divisions continue to participate in the Enviromark and other initiatives driven by the South African Plastics Federation. The Enviromark’s main focus is on plastics education for the public, especially the youth, as well as national clean-up campaigns. Nampak Polycyclers also converts some 5 100 tons per annum of recycled polyethylene into crates, refuse bins and buckets.

In terms of PET products, such as plastic beverage bottles, Nampak’s focus is on source reduction and reusability. The weight of Nampak’s PET two litre bottle has reduced from 68 g in 1979 to 54 g today. Further strength testing of the two litre PET bottle has confirmed that the weight can be reduced from 54 g to 52 g through reducing the bottle neck size, and plans are in place with Nampak’s major carbonated soft drink customers to introduce this lower weight bottle by 2011. This will also result in a smaller cap being required, and therefore more materials savings. In addition, some of Nampak’s PET bottles are returnable, encouraging reuse.

South Africa’s first multi-layer co-extruded bottle (essentially plastic bottle, [Status]) for long life dairy products was also launched by Nampak Liquid Packaging in conjunction with its customers Homsek Dairies and Woolworths. In line with Woolworth’s ‘good business journey’ all three layers of the bottles, as well as the caps, are made from HDPE, a material that makes the pack 100% recyclable.

Metal

For metals, investigations into light-weighting both the two-piece and three-piece food can have resulted in a further reduction in can weights produced by Nampak. Nampak R&D continues with physical performance tests such as paneling and top-load of experimental light-weighted cans. Testing of steel from international suppliers is also ongoing, and this initiative will result in significant resource conservation in the near future.

A universal lacquer has also been sourced and developed by Nampak Research and Development to coat the inside of food cans. This universal lacquer has replaced the previous 11 different lacquer systems used, which has resulted in less lacquer types needed and a significant benefit to the environment – due to less wash-up requirements and therefore reduced water usage as well as less waste disposal.

Glass

Roughly 26% of glass produced in South Africa is currently recycled. Nampak, together with other industry players and government, participated in the restructuring of the South African glass recycling supply chain, and was also a founding sponsor of the Glass Recycling Company, which aims to promote and increase the recovery rate of glass by creating awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. The Glass Recycling Company’s target is to increase glass recycling to 50% by 2013, from an original base of 25% in 2008.

Additionally, Nampak Wiegand Glass uses 35% to 45% of cullet, which is recycled waste glass, in its manufacturing process, thus reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

As Africa’s largest packaging supplier, it is evident that Nampak recognises the role it has to play in providing products and services that minimize their impact on the environment, and has taken the vital steps towards packaging solutions not only for customers and their products, but for the environment too.
Back to top ^