KENYA – The Kenya PET Recycling Company Limited, (PETCO Kenya) has transitioned to Packaging Producer Responsibility Organization (PAKPRO) in a bid to accelerate recycling of all non-hazardous packaging materials in the country. The transition from PETCO to PAKPRO® marked a proactive step towards establishing a mandatory EPR for category one products and packaging and committing to offer a much more…
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Ardagh Group to build global Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Cape Town, South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA – Global supplier of sustainable packaging solutions, Ardagh Group has announced plans to develop a global Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Cape Town, South Africa. The new CoE will offer some information technology (IT) services to the company’s businesses across Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Ardagh Group chairman Paul Coulson said: “With world-class technology skills and an established…
Read MoreCoca-Cola Beverages Botswana inaugurates new PET line and water treatment plant
BOTSWANA – Coca-Cola Beverages Botswana (CCBB) has unveiled a new state-of-the-art production line and water treatment plant today, representing a total investment of P310 million (US$24.4m). The upgrade will significantly increase the factory’s production capacity and make the company fully compliant in ensuring that clean water is returned to the environment. According to CCBB, the new production line is the…
Read MoreEgyptian Government to expand Al-Khanasir waste recycling plant capacity
EGYPT – The Egyptian Minister of the Environment, Yasmine Fouad, has announced the expansion of the capacity of the Al-Khanasir solid waste recycling plant in the seaside town of Sharm el-Sheikh. According to the Minister, the government wants to increase the capacity of the Al-Khanasir facility to 150 tonnes per day. Currently, the facility has a capacity of 140 tonnes…
Read MoreNampak suffers loss in first 6 months, plans reduction in salaries, headcount in 12-month rightsizing
SOUTH AFRICA – JSE-listed packaging group Nampak has swung into an interim loss of more than five times its R455 million (US$23.57m) market value, hit by massive writedowns as well as currency devaluation losses in Angola and Nigeria. The company reported a loss of R2.45 billion (US$126.90m) for its half-year to end-March, from profit of R321 million (US$16.63m) previously, with…
Read MorePackaging drinks in used plastic bottles unsafe, Experts warns
NIGERIA – Medical and food safety professionals have kicked against the practice of bottling locally made drinks in plastic bottles, noting that it is unsafe for consumption and dangerous to health. The experts said certain chemicals in plastic bottles can leach from the plastic into the drinks. They further noted that the practice could also cause all manner of infections…
Read MoreIndian film producer Uflex to build PET production facility in Egypt
EGYPT – Indian packaging film manufacturer Uflex, through its subsidiary Flex P Films Egypt, has announced plans to set up a PET production plant at the Egyptian petrochemical site, Ain Sokhna. The plant with a capacity of 360,000 t/y is to be built in the SIDC Industrial Park. The investment is reportedly around US$110 million (€100m), with this being the…
Read MorePropak launches into Ghana to boost local manufacturing industry
GHANA – International exhibition company, Afrocet Montgomery, has launched Propak Ghana to support the industrial transformation and boost the local manufacturing industry in West Africa. Having organized similar shows in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, Propak Ghana, scheduled to take place from June 6 – June 8 at the Grand Arena within the Accra International Conference Centre, is expected to…
Read MoreNigeria’s street food contributes to plastic problem, vendors to shift to leaf packaging
NIGERIA – Nigerian street food hawking has been found to contribute to plastic pollution as most vendors use plastic bags for packaging fast food. Most of the local food delicacies are sold by vendors whose livelihoods depend on informal subsistence activities such as local food production and street food hawking. They are part of Nigeria’s vast informal sector, which accounts…
Read MoreJava House launches ForestRehabilitation project at Karura Forest in sustainability drive
KENYA – Java House, East Africa’s leading coffee and food chain restaurant, has launched the #ForestRehabilitation project at Karura Forest to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 15 (#SDG15). The restaurant chain says the project focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combatting desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting…
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