In recent years, the need for sustainable business practices has become increasingly apparent through the introduction of “Closing The Green Gap”. As the world grapples with the realities of climate change and the impact it has on our planet, companies have come to realise that they have a responsibility to do their part in reducing their carbon footprint. This is especially true in Africa, where many countries are vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Closing the Green Gap is a term used to describe the steps that companies can take to become more sustainable. This includes reducing their carbon emissions, using renewable energy sources, and adopting more sustainable business practices. While many African companies are taking steps towards sustainability, there is still a significant gap between what is being done and what needs to be done.

How to become more sustainable as a company and recognise your Green Gap:

Becoming more sustainable as a company involves a multifaceted approach that includes reducing waste, using eco-friendly products and services, implementing sustainable practices, and embracing renewable energy sources.

Practical steps to ensure your company is working towards closing the green gap and becoming more sustainable:

• Conducting a sustainability audit on the gap:

  Start by analysing your company’s environmental impact and identify areas where you can make changes. This audit can help you set your company’s priorities and develop a roadmap for future sustainability.

• Reducing waste:

  Waste reduction can take many forms, including reducing the amount of paper used in our office, minimising packaging, recycling, and composting. Implementing a waste reduction program in your company can help save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and enhance your reputation as a socially responsible company.

• Using eco-friendly products and services:

  Consider using eco-friendly products and services in your business operations. This includes everything from green cleaning supplies to energy-efficient office equipment.

• Implementing sustainable practices to minimise the gap:

  There are many ways to incorporate sustainable practices into your business, such as switching to LED lighting in our office space, encouraging employees to use public transportation, and promoting telecommuting / carpooling. Encourage employees to participate in sustainable practices by setting up a green team or sustainability committee to aid the enforcement of more mindful business practices.

• Embracing renewable energy sources:

  Consider investing in renewable energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines. These can provide clean energy while reducing your carbon footprint and offering a saving on energy costs while making progress on closing the green gap.

Overcoming the challenges to sustainable business practices in Africa:

One of the biggest challenges facing African companies is the lack of awareness and understanding of sustainability issues. Many companies simply do not have the knowledge or resources to implement sustainable business practices. This is where business-to-business (B2B) partnerships can play a critical role. By working together, companies can share knowledge, resources, and expertise, ultimately creating a more sustainably bright future for Africa.

B2B partnerships can take many forms. For example, companies can work together to develop sustainable supply chains. This can involve sourcing materials from sustainable origins, reducing waste, and implementing more efficient logistics systems. Through teamwork, companies are able to increase their value add and introduce a more environmentally friendly value chain which benefits everyone involved. With sustainability being a new feat for African businesses to get their heads around, a trial-and-error process may be recognised. Through the sharing of success stories and areas of improvement, a knowledge exchange could help accelerate both the adoption of these practices and also the return companies expect to receive.

Examples of sustainable business practice in Africa:

There are already some successful examples of B2B partnerships in Africa. In South Africa, particularly Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA)  partnered with Puma Energy to install solar panels at its manufacturing sites. This has helped CCBA to reduce its carbon footprint, while also reducing overall energy costs.

Similarly, in Kenya, Unilever has partnered with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) to create a sustainable tea supply chain. This involved working with tea farmers to improve their farming practices, reduce waste, and ensure that they receive a fair price for their tea. This partnership has resulted in a sustainable and profitable tea industry in Kenya.

Closing the green gap and adopting sustainable practices is not only an ethical imperative but also a smart business decision for companies operating in Africa. By embracing sustainability, businesses can not only reduce their environmental impact but also improve their bottom line through cost savings, increased efficiency, and enhanced brand reputation. However, the journey towards sustainability requires a comprehensive approach that involves all stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, employees, and the broader community. By working together towards a common goal, businesses can make a positive impact not only in the eyes of their investors but also in the eyes of the local economy.

Finding the right practices suitable to your business model is no easy task, but with this territory being relatively new for many companies on the continent, many guides have been made available.

InterGest South Africa works with a myriad of companies and industries to engage efficacy and ensure that business operation over borders is a seamless process. With consultants, advisors and accountants at the fingertips of our clients, we offer a turnkey solution to companies wishing to expand their horizons into the African business market. With the market growing, Africa holds a special place in the eyes of sustainability, presenting the unique opportunity for growing companies to get into sustainable habits from the get-go and run their growth parallel to that of environmentally friendly business standards.

Visit our website to find out more!  https://intergest.co.za/

The post Closing The Green Gap appeared first on InterGest.

The demand for recyclable materials is also partly due to the rising price of virgin materials. Lucrative prices can be achieved for recyclable materials. This offers opportunities for companies in the recycling business to collect waste for industrial customers, separate it and resell it.

There is demand for the work steps of granulation, cleaning, drying, and pelletizing. Due to high levels of contamination, South Africa needs modern washing facilities. Energy-efficient solutions are also increasingly in demand. Efficient waste separation and collection systems, which are largely lacking in South Africa, are also needed.

Food

Food waste is all food and inedible parts of food taken out of the food supply chain to be recycled or disposed of (incl. composted, ploughed under/not harvested, anaerobic digestion, bioenergy production, combined heat and power, incineration, disposal in sewer, landfill or discarded at sea).

Food is treated as disposable. One third of food produced for human consumption is wasted globally amounting to approx. 1.3 billion tonnes per year

Food waste has several negative effects:

• It impacts food security
• Resources used for food production and distribution are wasted
• Environmental impacts throughout the supply chain

Different types of food waste include household food waste, restaurant food waste and retail food waste. Households waste approx. 21% of all purchased Fruits and Vegetables, 19% of bread, 14% of dairy and 10% of meat. These figures are based on self-reported food waste percentages.

The food wasting in South Africa mimics that of developed countries. Reasons for wasting food are similar to reasons why European households waste food. They include date codes, especially best-before and expiry dates, appearance of produce (old/expired/rotten/bad smelling – crooked fruit and vegetables are common), forgetting fruit and vegetables in storage, packaging that cannot be resealed and is poorly protected, preparing too much, eating slowly, pests, buying too much, picky eaters and poor cooking skills.

In total, South Africans waste one-third of all food in the country – roughly 10-million tonnes of food annually.

Plastics

As part of the “Zero Plastics to Landfill” initiative, no more plastics are to end up in landfill sites by 2030. The growing population will increase the consumption of plastics and thus the volume of recyclable material. With the forecast expansion of plastics recycling, there should be increasing opportunities for supply from companies operating in the industry.

Paper

The paper recycling sector in South Africa is flourishing thanks to the efforts of suppliers, collectors, and consumers in waste management. South Africa’s paper recycling target for 2020 of 70% was reached in 2017 – three years ahead of schedule, after recycling 1.3 million tonnes of paper, cardboard, and liquid packaging.

Glass

For the multiple uses of glass, the two South African bottle manufacturers Nampak and Consol founded “The Glass Recycling Company” (TGRC). This company runs initiatives for the collection of used glass. These initiatives have increased the glass recycling rate from 18% in 2006 to 42% in 2018.

Metal

Most of the scrap metal market comes from the industrial sector. Each year, approximately 2.5 – 3 million tonnes of scrap metal are recycled in South Africa. This figure could rise further. The reuse of electronic scrap is being pushed. Beverage cans are increasingly being made from aluminum instead of sheet metal. Aluminum cans can be recycled and reused within 60 days. In addition, recycled aluminum can also be used for other purposes, such as incorporation into car parts.

Conclusion

The South African recycling market has been growing in all segments for years. Some of the growth rates are rapid. Recycling targets are sometimes reached years ahead of schedule. However, the market is still expandable and shows growth potential in the areas of paper, plastics, glass and metal recycling as well as food recycling. Recycling solutions are needed in all sectors in South Africa and must be further developed in the future in order to be able to solve problems such as food waste and environmental pollution more effectively.

The post Recycling in South Africa – a market with great potential appeared first on InterGest.

Ethiopia to transform waste into electricity. Addis Ababa, the capital of the East African state of Ethiopia, is home to Africa’s first waste incineration plant. The “Reppie Waste-to-Energy Project” is located at the Koshe landfill which is the largest landfill in the city. The landfill site covers about 36 football pitches and has been growing steadily in recent years due to rapid urbanisation and the country’s strong economic growth (>10% annually).

The plant, which complies with EU emission standards, is revolutionising the way waste is handled in the city and is expected to convert around 1400 tons of waste into energy daily. This corresponds to 80% of the waste produced in Addis Ababa. The energy generated from the city’s waste will contribute towards 30% of the city’s household energy needs, which has a population of around 4.8 million people.

The four major opportunities arising from the commissioning of the plant are:

1. Saving land that would otherwise be used for landfill

2. Generation of renewable electrical energy

3. Preventing the release of toxic chemicals into groundwater

4. Reduction of methane gas emissions into the atmosphere 

The waste is incinerated in a combustion chamber, heating up water at an extremely high temperature to convert it into steam.  Energy is then created by the highly pressurized steam which is converted into mechanical energy which rotates the blades in the steam turbine. The steam turbine is connected to two steam turbine driven generators that produces electricity. By using modern gas treatment technology, the release of toxins during the process is greatly reduced.

The Reppie Waste-to-Energy Project resulted from a partnership between the Ethiopian government and a consortium of international companies: Cambridge Industries Limited (Singapore), China National Electric Engineering and Ramboll, a Danish engineering firm. According to reports, this project is only one component of Ethiopia’s broader strategy to combat pollution and to use renewable energy in all sectors of the economy. The Ethiopian government has invested a total of $96 million in the project and has created 1300 jobs for Ethiopians and 286 jobs for foreign workers.

The Reppie project is not intended to remain the only project of its kind but will serve as a model for other projects in other major cities to transform waste into electricity in African countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Senegal.

The post ETHIOPIA TO TRANSFORM WASTE INTO ELECTRICITY appeared first on InterGest.