This article has been supplied.The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA), the African Polystyrene Industry Alliance (APIA) have called for a more inclusive and evidence-based approach to South Africa's circular economy following comments made during the launch of the SA Plastics Pact 2030 Targets in Cape Town.
While welcoming Government's continued support for recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and collaborative action to address plastic pollution, both organisations expressed concern over ongoing efforts to classify certain materials such as PVC and Polystyrene as "problematic plastics" and the potential policy implications of such labels.
According to the industry bodies, both PVC and Polystyrene are often unfairly characterised as difficult-to-recycle materials despite significant progress in collection and recycling over recent years.
"These materials are not sitting outside the circular economy. They are being collected, recycled and converted into valuable new products every day by committed recyclers and manufacturers across South Africa," the organisations said.
The PVC industry achieved a collection and recycling rate exceeding 10% during the 2025 reporting period, significantly surpassing the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's Year 4 EPR target of 6.5%. Similarly, APIA achieved a collection and recycling rate of 41% against 9,492 tonnes of polystyrene placed on the market during the same year.
