Manikam Michael Nadar
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Manduth Ramchander
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Raveen Rathilall
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
Kishan Singh
Department of Operations and Quality Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.
In this post, we present a brief overview of our recently published book chapter titled “The Effects of Humane Entrepreneurship on Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises’ Performance”
The correlation analysis indicates that packaging GDP serves as a reliable indicator of the overall strength and performance of the South African economy. This relationship highlights the close linkage between the packaging sector and broader economic activity, given its integration across manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and fast-moving consumer goods industries.
Key industry data further reflect several pertinent challenges currently facing the packaging industry in South Africa. Despite difficult trading conditions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ongoing Russia–Ukraine and Israel–Palestine conflicts, the packaging industry has demonstrated notable resilience. It has sustained supply chains, supported the daily consumption needs and lifestyles of South Africans, and continued contributing meaningfully to the national GDP.
In 2017, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment implemented Section 28 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA), commonly referred to as the “duty of care” provision. This section mandates that reasonable measures be taken to prevent environmental pollution and ecological degradation across South Africa. This regulatory shift was strengthened in May 2021 with the enforcement of Section 18, which formalised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) within the South African packaging industry.
EPR is a regulatory mechanism that transfers the responsibility for the recovery of post-consumer packaging materials from government to producers. These producers — including packaging converters (manufacturers), brand owners, and retailers — are therefore accountable for managing the full lifecycle of their packaging. This responsibility extends beyond production and distribution to include collection, recycling, waste management, reporting, and environmentally sound disposal.
Together, these legislative developments significantly reshape the operational and financial responsibilities of stakeholders within the South African packaging value chain, reinforcing the urgency for a more structured, transparent, and sustainable post-consumer metal packaging recovery model.