On July 25th, Mpact opened its liquid packaging recycling plant at the company’s Springs paper mill. The company held an on-site ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning, with Minister Dr. Edna Molewa, the Minister of Environmental Affairs, as well as other national and local government officials in attendance.

The R46 million project is expected to recycle approximately 25,000 tonnes per year of liquid packaging products, which until now has seen limited beneficiation in South Africa.  

SA’s paper recovery rate well above global average

The recovery rate of all paper grades available for recycling in South Africa was approximately 68% in 2016, representing 1,4 million tonnes of the approximately 2,0 million tonnes of paper. However, when it comes to paper packaging grades, this number is estimated to be well over 80%.

Bruce Strong, CEO of Mpact Limited explains, “Paper recycling rates in South Africa are well ahead of the global recovery rates, and comparable to many first world countries, and we can be very proud of that. The key to this level of recycling is the demand for recyclable products from paper manufacturers. In Mpact’s case, this demand comes through innovative projects and investments, such as the liquid packaging recycling plant being unveiled today.”

With traditional sources of recovered paper in South Africa in short supply mainly due to increased demand from paper manufacturers both locally and abroad, the recovered paper from the liquid packaging products processed at this plant provide Mpact with an alternative source of high quality recycled fibre which is currently being landfilled.

In 2016, Mpact recovered approximately 560,000 tonnes of recyclable paper fibre. Mpact will recycle an additional 120,000 tonnes by 2018 off the back of the liquid packaging recycling plant as well as the recently upgraded Felixton paper mill, which is now using 100% recovered paper fibre as raw material.

These projects and other initiatives by Mpact Recycling represent the next stage of increasing the paper recycling rate, which will take South Africa’s paper recovery rates to another level.

“Other than sustained demand, cost effective collection and the aggregation of recyclables for beneficiation is critical in maintaining high levels of recycling. We believe this is best achieved through public–private partnerships and real interventions on the ground, rather than punitive taxes,” continued Strong.

Celebrating recycling

Samantha Choles, Communications Representative from Paper Recycling Association of South Africa, added her voice in support of Mpact’s liquid packaging recycling plant, saying, “Today is a celebration of many kinds: it is a celebration of investment, not just in one of Ekurhuleni’s manufacturing hubs, but in Gauteng and South Africa. We also celebrate the circular economy and the extended producer responsibility in action, technology and manufacturing, as well as efforts by industry to make products more recyclable, to close the loop just a little further so that fewer tonnes of waste go to landfill.”

Mpact’s beneficiation of recyclables also extend to the R350 million state-of-the-art recycled PET (rPET) plant (Mpact Polymers), which processes 29,000 tonnes a year of used PET bottles into 21,000 tonnes of rPET for food and beverage packaging products. Consequently, Mpact now also recycles plastic lids on liquid packaging cartons and plastic bottles to make wheelie bins.

“The opening of Mpact’s liquid packaging recycling plant advances its position as the pre-eminent paper and carton recycler in Southern Africa,” says Rodney Reynders, Cluster Leader, Environment, Greater Middle East and Africa, Tetra Pak.

“This innovative facility amplifies Mpact’s opportunity for environmentally sustainable activities, and increases the collection and recycling of liquid packaging products. The operation will also meet the burgeoning needs of our customers to recycle greater volumes of carton packaging for reuse in new products”.

Zero waste to landfill is the goal

In his concluding remarks, Strong added, “wastage of any kind is not good. We are very clear that zero waste to landfill has to be the goal. This project and many others across the Group dovetail Mpact’s strategic drive to beneficiate recyclable materials in South Africa. This in turn reflects our long term commitment to sustainability and development of sustainable systems in recycling. Therefore, we embrace opportunities that will see us realise this in the country, drive innovation, investment, entrepreneurial development and the growth of SMMEs, as well as secure a sustainable future for all South Africans for generations to come.”

The post Minister of the Environmental Affairs unveils Mpact’s liquid packaging recycling plant first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

   “Paper, in its countless forms, touches our lives every day and it’s a relationship that often goes unnoticed. We use it without a second thought – from our first cup of coffee and morning ablutions, to eating yoghurt, popping our vitamins or putting on lipstick.”

So says Jane Molony, executive director of the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) in the association’s inaugural progress report. “Paper products are an enabler. Without them many industries would not be able to convey their messages, ship their products and deliver their goods. As the basis for tissue, paper is a bathroom essential and helps to improve lives through personal hygiene. As a medium through which learning is facilitated, paper educates and informs,” she adds.

Telling the fibre story

PAMSA’s industry report, Paper in Perspective 2016, tells a number of stories – the economic story, the sustainability story and the recycling story. It also delves into PAMSA’s efforts in the education, training and research space, and entrepreneurship training for recycling collectors.

Presented in an easy-to-read format, facts are abundant. Did you know that South African paper makers’ forests are home to 600 million carbon-absorbing, oxygen-giving trees? Or that only 9% of a plantation is harvested a year and that on average 260,000 new saplings are planted every day to replace what has been harvested?

Paper in Perspective 2016 clearly highlights how wood, pulp and paper – collectively fibre-based materials – are not only renewable but that their cellulosic foundations are taking the industry into new frontiers.

Cellulose used as a fibre additive in food and as a preservative in processed foods. It can be applied in the manufacture of cellphone and laptop screens, as well as through nanotechnology in automobiles, aerospace, defence and medical science.

Sustainability at the centre

The foreword – penned by PAMSA chairman and CEO of Mondi South Africa Ron Traill – sets out in no uncertain terms the value of the industry to the South African economy. In 2015 alone, paper, pulp and other associated products contributed R28 billion to the local fiscus and a significant R4.5 billion to the country’s balance of trade.

Crucially, more than 150,000 people are currently employed in the value chain from tree planting to paper making and recycling. Encouragingly, an estimated 38,000 work formally or informally in the recycling sector.

Valuable reference document – available on paper and online

Paper in Perspective 2016 is a one-stop guide to the South African pulp and paper making industry, its members and the vast scope of their activities. As a reference document, it will be of great value to industry commentators, journalists, economists, educators, students of all ages and people considering making a career in a vibrant and technologically advanced industry with an exciting future.

Naturally the publication has been printed on certified, sustainably produced paper, but is also available for download – and desktop printing.

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On Tuesday 26 January, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs, Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu unveiled Phase 1 of Mpact’s Felixton Mill R765 million expansion. The upgrade of the paper mill will enhance its product offering, enabling it to produce advanced lightweight containerboard to cater for the increasing demand for packaging weight reduction.

Commenting on the project, Mpact CEO Mr Bruce Strong said; “Capital investment across the Group is critical for us to take advantage of growth prospects in our markets. In the case of the Felixton Mill, the upgrade will increase capacity by 60,000 tonnes to 215,000 tonnes. Notably, the significant investment in the latest paper machine technology and machinery will improve the quality of our paper products; enhance operational efficiencies and the mill’s overall competitiveness in line with global trends.On completion of the project, the mill will no longer utilise bagasse fibre in its products, moving towards fully recycled fibre usage. Environmental benefits of the upgrade also include significant specific reductions in CO_2, and the usage of energy, water, and solid waste.”

The Felixton Mill’s upgrade is also expected to contribute to job creation through increased collections of waste paper which will be required by the mill.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, MEC Mabuyakhulu said the Felixton Mill upgrade augured well for the province’s plans of using infrastructure projects as a tool for skills transfer and job creation. “It is our view that whatever occurs in the province of KwaZulu-Natal needs to be connected to our to broader strategy of undermining inequality, poverty and unemployment and we believe that this R765 million upgrade to Felixton Mill’s operations will create some much needed job opportunities in the province as well as contribute to a skills transfer to local communities.”

As part of the Felixton Mill upgrade, Mpact secured an 8-year structured loan facility of R200 million with the KZN Growth Fund.

KZN Growth Fund CEO, Mr Siddiq Adam said: “This is a landmark transaction for the KZN Growth Fund and the province. The Fund’s aim is to invest and support sustainable growth projects in the private sector that stimulate job creation, promote B-BBEE and reduce inequality. We are particularly pleased with Mpact’s progress in priority focus areas of B-BBEE and the creation of job opportunities. The investment into the Felixton Mill upgrade demonstrates our confidence in a partnership with Mpact in meeting the province’s developmental goals. ”

Situated near Empangeni, Felixton Mill was established in 1953. The mill produces containerboard for local and export corrugated markets utilising waste paper and bagasse, a fibre residue of sugar cane, as primary raw materials. In June 2015, Felixton Mill successfully commissioned Phase 1 of the upgrade, with the completion of a new state-of-the-art recycled fibre (RCF) plant and an upgrade to the paper machine.

The second and final phase of the upgrade is on schedule to be commissioned in 2017.

The post Mpact’s Felixton Mill unveiled first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).