The plastics industry is dealing with a more complicated brief than it did a few years ago.
Customers want greater recycled content. Packaging requirements are tightening. Regulations are evolving across global markets. And manufacturers are expected to improve traceability, efficiency and product consistency at the same time.
For SAPY, the response is not to treat these as separate challenges. Instead, the masterbatch manufacturer is building its approach around collaboration – with suppliers, converters, recyclers and customers – supported by investment in technology, regulatory knowledge and product development.
‘We don’t believe compliance should be approached in isolation,’ says Tracy Sinclair, head of market strategy and sales at SAPY. ‘Regulations continue to change, and understanding what is actually required means working with our suppliers, looking carefully at our own formulations and then sharing the relevant information with our customers.’
Compliance before the deadline
The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), heavy metals and food-contact requirements are increasingly part of the conversation for plastics and packaging companies, particularly those supplying export markets.
SAPY’s approach is built around understanding these developments before they become an urgent customer requirement. The company works directly with established raw material suppliers, supported by its internal systems and ISO 22000:2018 food safety management system, to assess the implications for its formulations and the applications in which they are used.
PFAS provides a practical example. SAPY has supplied a locally manufactured PFAS-free processing performance additive (PPA) to the South African market for more than 18 months. Developed using an active ingredient containing no fluorine compounds, the product is already in commercial use, with further independent testing underway to provide additional supporting data.
At the same time, SAPY continues to supply its established PPA where it remains appropriate under applicable regulations. The appropriate solution depends on the application and destination market, says Tracy. ‘It isn’t simply about replacing one product with another,’ she says. ‘We need to understand the application, where the finished product is going and what requirements apply.’
Knowledge sharing is a significant part of the process. Regulatory developments are incorporated into SAPY’s internal training, equipping its business development team to discuss not only products, but the regulatory considerations surrounding their use.
Making recycled polymers work
The growing use of post-consumer recycled material presents a different, but equally technical challenge.
South Africa’s recycling industry produces increasingly sophisticated PCR material, supported by sorting, processing and quality controls. Yet recycled polymer is fundamentally different from virgin material. Its previous lifecycle and the composition of the recovered stream can introduce variation that affects colour, appearance and processing.
For converters, that variability makes consistency the challenge. SAPY works with converters and recycled-material suppliers to develop solutions suited to the specific material and end use. The company supplies masterbatches containing up to 100% PCR carrier and also develops solutions for applications containing high levels of recycled content. ‘Our approach is collaborative,’ says Tracy. ‘We work with converters and their material suppliers to understand the substrate, processing conditions, application and required outcome and then formulate accordingly.’
The technical solution must also make commercial sense. SAPY combines its formulation expertise with direct sourcing, purchasing volumes and manufacturing scale to keep solutions competitively priced.
‘It’s about finding the right balance,’ Tracy says. ‘We want to provide a masterbatch that works effectively with the material and application, while remaining commercially practical for our customer.’
A system built around the business
SAPY is applying the same thinking to digitalisation. Its SAPY Live system has been part of the business since 2016. That experience has now led to SAPY Live V2, a bespoke platform supported by significant hardware and software upgrades.
Rather than adapting the business to a conventional ERP or MRP system, SAPY has continued developing technology around its own operational requirements.
‘Our requirements, refined over more than 30 years of business, are extremely specific,’ says Tracy. ‘Rather than trying to make the business fit a system, we have continued developing a system around the way our business actually operates.’
The system is progressively extending across functions including warehouse management, CRM and R&D. QR code-driven, real-time information improves visibility and traceability, while integrated quality controls and operational data provide greater scope for identifying trends and improving decision-making.
Importantly, SAPY does not see digital transformation as a substitute for people.
‘It’s about using technology to reduce routine work, improve access to information and give our people better tools to do their jobs,’ says Tracy.
Taking the relationship higher
SAPY’s investment story has also taken a less conventional direction. Over the past two and a half years, Dr Majid Zarrebini’s interest in helicopter aviation has developed into a broader customer and community-engagement initiative. What began with flights between SAPY and Virginia Airport has evolved into another way of connecting customers with the business – including the opportunity to view the scale of its Hammarsdale operation from the air.
Majid has since obtained his Commercial Pilot Licence – Helicopter (CPL-H), while SAPY is building on the programme through a new brand ambassadorship with Enstrom Helicopter Corporation. A new helicopter will be based at the plant as part of the next phase of the initiative.
The company is also preparing to introduce Altitude Wines, a range specially bottled for SAPY customers, alongside the new Enstrom helicopter later in 2026.
For SAPY, however, the wider theme remains consistent. Whether the issue is compliance, recycled polymers, digitalisation or customer engagement, the company is looking beyond the individual product or technology.
The common thread is collaboration, and the recognition that navigating a changing industry requires suppliers, manufacturers and customers to work more closely together.
