RCL FOODS Joins the South African Plastics Pact

OUR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DRIVE is about CREATING THE FUTURE. Part of this is about finding MORE environmentally responsible solutions that protect the environment and enrich the communities we operate in.

At RCL FOODS our Sustainable Resources framework consists of 3 pillars- MORE Energy self-sufficient operation, MORE water-smart operations and MORE waste-free operations.

The MORE waste-free operations pillar includes reducing plastic waste. Plastic packaging plays a vital role in preserving products to avoid food waste and in building our brands. However, plastics packaging has been acknowledged as a leading contributor to land and marine pollution. To support our journey towards reducing our Plastics Packaging waste, we have signed up as a member of the South African Plastics Pact and have joined PETCO to support the development of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) collection and recycling infrastructure in South Africa. The South African Plastics Pact commits signatories across the plastics value chain to: take action on problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging; move to 100% recyclable materials; include 30% post-consumer recyclant in packaging and ensure that 70% of all packaging materials are effectively recycled. The importance of the Pact for RCL is the platform it aims to provide to stimulate industry-wide innovation, dialogue and collaboration at a precompetitive level.

Through our involvement in the such initiatives, we anticipate gaining a better understanding of the plastics packaging regulatory environment and its associated risks as well as to work with industry stakeholders and our strategic packaging suppliers to move packaging into a circular economy where its value is retained.