It was a night to remember as more than 100 industry members, role players, award nominees and key decision-makers turned up for the ninth biennial SAPRO Best Recycled Plastic Products awards function.

Guests enjoyed a fine dining experience, live music as well as comedy entertainment in the form of local ventriloquist Conrad Koch, who had everyone in stitches with his puppets and antics. He even pulled the mickey with SAPRO chairman Johan Conradie.

Johan used the occasion to announce two new SAPRO initiatives, notably the launch of the Design for Recycling Online Guide application, which he believes will be a real game changer in the future.

Following industry-promoted Design for Recycling guidelines will at a minimum provide an important contribution to help companies ensure that their packaging is compliant with relevant legislation, that recycling costs are minimised, and that societal expectations and company practices are matched in packaging recycling.

‘This guidance tool is sufficiently detailed to assist designers in all forms of packaging. It will provide packaging and print designers with a better understanding of the environmental implications of their design decisions, thus promoting good environmental practices without unnecessarily restricting choice,’ Johan commented.

He also announced an addition to the awards ceremony, namely the Platinum Design Principals certificate for best-in-class design for recycling.

This year, the award went to Spar for its all-white, all-HDPE milk bottle.

According to SAPRO general manager Oliver Bonstein, the amount of quality entries show that it’s becoming increasingly popular to use recycled plastics in products. ‘The event was well attended by big players in the industry. It indicates the importance of such innovation for businesses to remain relevant.’

Polyco chief executive officer Patricia Pillay delievered an inspiring speech when given the floor for a few words as the evening’s sponsor. ‘Recyclable waste has value when it’s viewed as a secondary resource,’ was a part of her talk that really stuck out.

The evening proved to be a great networking opportunity and chance to rub shoulders with prominent figures from the plastics recycling industry.

After the main course was served, the time finally came to announce the category winners (cue drumroll…).

Gold winners and their products in each category, in order, were; Supreme Mouldings – wall panels, SFG Technologies – planter box, Incredapeg, MyPlas/Mpact/Unilever – Organics shampoo flip top lid and Polyoak Packaging – Contan bucket. The overall winner was selected from these gold winners and went to the SFG Technologies’ planter box. This well-built, 70% recycled content planter box is robust and increases crop productivity in a water and resource-efficient way. The boxes are being produced in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture to equip emerging farmers and low-income homes to produce crops. There have already been

36 000 boxes produced and plans are afoot to expand to other provinces. The value that this project has for the reputation of recycled plastics is invaluable.

Winning CEO of SFG Technologies Andrew Pott believes the product’s aesthetic appeal, longevity and robustness were what eventually swayed the judges’ decision. ‘Ultimately, it’s a solution associated with growing vegetables and aimed at lower-income households. I think that also really struck a chord with the adjudicators. It’s plastic that is being put to good use.’

Andrew and his team were chuffed with winning the award. ‘We’re a small start-up and an award like this from a credible organisation such as SAPRO really puts legitimacy behind our brand,’ he concluded.

ALPLA, who operates seven recycling plants across the world – including the 60-million euros plant in Ballito (to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024) – scooped a bronze awards in the personal care products category for the Radox bottle (in partnership with Unilever).

ALPLA head of sales Omesh Thilmun says this award not only recognises the innovative work the company is currently undertaking, but raises awareness among brand owners to take recycled plastic products seriously. ‘It’s getting that message of recycled plastic across to the industry,’ Omesh says.

Polyoak Packaging, in partnership with HB Plastics, clinched gold in the ‘Other Rigid Packaging’ category at the SAPRO Awards for their Contan 20-litre bucket, crafted from 42% recycled plastic.

For Michelle Penlington, Polyoak’s national executive: marketing and sustainability, this achievement stands as a strategic imperative. ‘We’re part of an industry propelling forward with recycled content, and this award is a testament to our dedicated teams,’ she exclaims. Moreover, she emphasises that the SAPRO Awards not only celebrate Polyoak but also spotlight often overlooked partners like HB Plastics. ‘Recognising their invaluable contributions is essential,’ she states. ‘Without their dedication, none of this would be possible.’

Michelle also underscores the significance of events like the SAPRO Awards, which excel in spotlighting excellence, especially in the technical and less glamorous aspects of recycled plastic processes and products – a refreshing change from traditional packaging awards.

She expresses hope for the awards to continue growing, bringing more recycled plastic packaging innovations into the spotlight.

The company is at the forefront of experimenting with various multi-layer recycled plastic content and encourages all of their customers to go this route. ‘ALPLA was the first to put a multi-layer recycled product out on the market, and this award acknowledged the resilience, innovation, commitment and hard work that ALPLA has put it to remain frontrunners in the recycled plastic product space.’

Special mentions from the judges went to the Viro Solutions juice bottle for including consumers in the circularity of the packaging and the Do More Foundation for its B.Blox toy, which creates artisan jobs, recycles HIPS and makes toys for ECD childcare centres.

‘Based on the turnout,’ comments Oliver, ‘we believe it signals an acceleration in the growth of recycled plastic products. Therefore, we’re planning

to make this an annual event with return attendees and exciting new products each year. At the next event, we’ll push to have even more brands present that are at the forefront of presenting recycled plastic products to consumers.’

List of winners

BELOW are the bronze, silver and gold winners from each category of the 2023 SAPRO Best Recycled Plastic Products Awards.

Construction and building products

Silver Award: DC Plastics’ Underfloor Sheeting

Gold Award: Supreme Mouldings’ Wall Panels

Agriculture and related products

Bronze Award: DC Plastics’ Mulch Film

Silver Award: KR Polymers’ R-Grape

Gold Award: SFG Technologies’ Planter Box

Household, leisure and consumer-related products

Bronze Award: Shoprite’s Checkers trolleys

Silver Award: Usabco’s Addis Eco Living Range

Gold Award: Incredapeg

Personal care products

Bronze Award: ALPLA & Unilever’s Radox Bottle

Silver Award: MyPlas, Berry Astrapak & Unilever’s Deodorant Screw Cap

Gold Award: MyPlas, Mpact & Unilever’s Organic Shampoo Flip-top Lid

Other rigid packaging

Bronze Award: Ipackchem’s 20-litre drum

Silver Award: Viro Solutions’ juice bottle

Gold Award: Polyoak Packaging’s Contan bucket

Ed’s note: Platinum sponsorships came from Polyco and Erema and silver sponsorship from Winelands Plastics & Imports. The other sponsors were Plastics SA, Packaging SA, PETCO and Hume Machinery. Wine was sponsored by Spier and the award certificate frames were sponsored by Supreme Mouldings.