A framework to enhance environmental sustainability of plastic manufacturers in South Africa

Abstract

An integrated view on generative sustainability has taken on acutely important dimensions globally, given the omniscience of degrading environmental forces. This age of the Anthropocene, in the time scale of earth’s evolution, has seen the exponential introduction, use, and wastage of those materials in demand for human lifestyles, all on an unprecedented scale. Within this evolution, the novelty of plastics, and their manufacturing took on normative proportions, more specifically, with their often-uncritical persistence in developing countries, such as South Africa. The negative impact of plastic on the environment has resulted in a ‘war’ on the plastic industry and plastic manufacturers, relevant to this research. Yet plastic manufacturers have defended their management of plastics through claims of upcycling, generating employment and upholding international best practice standards. Probing the authenticity of this ‘war’ prompted this current research, which explores the strategies and operations of plastic manufacturers and their stakeholders. The research theorised how an under-studied confluence of industrial ecology, systems-thinking and stakeholders’ involvement might provide a more judicious account of plastics, and their manufacture, within the global impetus for environmental sustainability. An initial framework was developed by critically evaluating the literature to understand plastic manufacturers and their stakeholders and situate their position in the sustainability debates. The framework was refined using empirical qualitative research, providing rich data interpreted using the tabled novel confluence of industrial ecology, stakeholders, and systems theories. The participants informing the contribution were purposively selected from a developing country’s population of plastic manufacturers and plastic industry stakeholders. The research has new assertions. It was found that a regionalised, territorial cooperation system should be implemented for stakeholders. Additionally, industrial ecology replaces the deliberative production and consumption systems within the regional levels, with a cyclical system such as those found in a natural ecosystem. Furthermore, there is a need to extend beyond the competitive stakeholder positions towards communal and complex inter-dependencies that essentially and powerfully constitute stakeholders within a circular socio-economic collaboration. This assertion has been particularly demonstrated through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the real awakening that the world is highly interconnected and dependent on social collaboration between stakeholders. The perception of a linear-based manufacturing ethos was challenged with the insights of an under-appreciated regional circular ecology that requires strategic and operational drivers to work within feedback systems appropriate to a living ecosystem. Additional research could explore and extend the complex environmental sustainability issues by expanding the scope and scale of innovative strategies and operations used by plastic manufacturers and their stakeholders.

’n Geïntegreerde beskouing van generatiewe volhoubaarheid het wêreldwyd uiters belangrike dimensies aangeneem, gegewe die alwetendheid van degraderende omgewingskragte. Hierdie tydperk van die Antroposeen, in die tydskaal van die aarde se evolusie, is gekenmerk deur die eksponensiële bekendstelling, gebruik, en vermorsing van daardie materiale wat in aanvraag is vir die handhawing van mense se lewenstyle – alles op ’n ongekende skaal. In hierdie evolusie het die nuwigheid en die vervaardiging van plastiekstowwe normatiewe afmetings aangeneem – meer spesifiek, met hul (dikwels onkritiese) volharding in ontwikkelende lande soos Suid-Afrika. Die negatiewe impak van plastiek op die omgewing het gelei tot ’n “oorlog” teen die plastiekbedryf en vervaardigers van plastiek, wat op hierdie navorsing betrekking het. Die vervaardigers het egter hul bestuur van plastiek verdedig met hul aansprake op kreatiewe herwinning, werkskepping, en handhawing van internasionale bestepraktykstandaarde. Ondersoeke na die outensiteit van hierdie “oorlog” het aanleiding gegee tot hierdie navorsing oor die strategieë en werksaamhede van plastiekvervaardigers en hul belanghebbers. Hierdie navorsing teoretiseer hoe ’n onderbestudeerde sameloop van nywerheidsekologie, sistemiese denke en belanghebbers se betrokkenheid ’n meer oordeelkundige weergawe van plastiek – en die vervaardiging daarvan – binne die globale impetus vir omgewingsvolhoubaarheid kan gee. ’n Aanvanklike raamwerk is ontwikkel deur ’n kritiese evaluering van die literatuur om plastiekvervaardigers en hul belanghebbers te verstaan en hul posisie in die debatte oor volhoubaarheid vas te stel. Die raamwerk is verfyn deur die gebruik van empiriese kwalitatiewe navorsing, wat ryk data voorsien het wat geïnterpreteer is met behulp van die getabuleerde nuwe sameloop van nywerheidsekologie, belanghebbers, en stelselteorieë. Die deelnemers wat die bydrae lewer, is doelbewus gekies uit ’n ontwikkelende land se populasie van plastiekvervaardigers en belanghebbers in die plastiekbedryf. Nuwe bewerings is in die navorsing gemaak. Daar is gevind dat ’n geregionaliseerde, territoriale samewerkingstelsel vir belanghebbers geïmplementeer moet word. Afgesien daarvan vervang nywerheidsekologie die beraadslagende produksie- en verbruikstelsels op die streeksvlakke, met ’n sikliese stelsel soos dié wat in ’n natuurlike ekostelsel voorkom. Daar is ook ’n behoefte om verder uit te brei as die mededingende belanghebberposisies, met die oog op gemeenskaplike en komplekse onderafhanklikhede wat wesenlike en kragtige belanghebbers binne ’n sirkelvormige sosio-ekonomiese samewerking uitmaak. Hierdie bewering is veral gedemonstreer deur die impak van die COVID-19-pandemie en die ware bewuswording dat die wêreld in ’n groot mate onderling verbind en afhanklik van sosiale samewerking tussen belanghebbers is. Die persepsie van ’n lineêrgebaseerde vervaardigingsetos is in twyfel getrek deur die insigte van ’n ondergeappresieerde sirkelvormige streeksekologie wat vereis dat strategiese en operasionele aandrywers in terugvoerstelsels moet werk wat geskik is vir ’n lewende ekostelsel. Verdere navorsing kan lig werp op die komplekse kwessies van omgewingsvolhoubaarheid, deur uitbreiding van die omvang en skaal van innoverende strategieë en werksaamhede wat deur plastiekvervaardigers en hul belanghebbers gebruik word.

Umbono odidiyelwe wokusimama kokukhiqiza uthathe izilinganiso ezibaluleke kakhulu emhlabeni jikelele, uma kubhekwa ukwazi konke kokucekela phansi amandla emvelo. Le nkathi yeminyaka yamanje yokuma komhlaba, esikalini sesikhathi sokuguquka komhlaba, ibone ukwethulwa okukhulu, ukusetshenziswa, kanye nokumoshwa kwalezo zinto ezidingekayo ezindleleni zokuphila kwabantu, konke ngezinga elingakaze libonwe ngaphambili. Ngaphakathi kwalokhu kuguquguquka, ubusha bamapulasitiki, kanye nokukhiqizwa kwawo kuthathe izilinganiso ezijwayelekile, ikakhulukazi, ngokuphikelela kwako okungasho lutho emazweni asathuthuka, njengeNingizimu Afrika. Umthelela omubi wepulasitiki emvelweni ubangele 'impi' embonini yepulasitiki kanye nabakhiqizi bepulasitiki, okuhambisana nalolu cwaningo. Nokho abakhiqizi bepulasitiki bakuvikele ukuphatha kwabo amapulastiki ngezimangalo zokukhushulwa kokusetshenziswa kabusha kwamapulastiki, ukukhiqiza ukuqashwa kanye nokuphakamisa izindinganiso zamazwe ngamazwe ezingcono kakhulu zokusebenza. Ukuhlola ubuqiniso bale ‘mpi’ kwabangela lolu cwaningo lwamanje, oluhlola amasu nokusebenza kwabakhiqizi bepulasitiki nababambiqhaza babo. Ucwaningo luveze ukuthi ukuhlangana okungafundiwe kahle kwesifundo sezinhlelo zezimboni, ukucabanga kwezinhlelo kanye nokuzibandakanya kwababambiqhaza kunganikeza i-akhawunti ehlakaniphe kakhudlwana yamapulasitiki, kanye nokwakhiwa kwawo, ngaphakathi komfutho womhlaba wonke wokusimama kwemvelo. Uhlaka lokuqala lwasungulwa ngokuhlolisisa imibhalo ukuze kuqondwe abakhiqizi bepulasitiki kanye nababambiqhaza bawo kanye nokubeka isikhundla sawo ezingxoxweni zokusimama. Lolu hlaka lwacwengwa kusetshenziswa ucwaningo olusebenzisa ubufakazi obungaqinisekiswa ukuze kufinyelelwe emiphumeleni, luhlinzeka ngemininingwane ecebile ehunyushwe kusetshenziswa inhlanganisela yokusha futhi okungafani nokwaziwa ngaphambilini kwethulwe ngokusemthethweni esifundweni sezinhlelo zezimboni, ababambiqhaza, kanye nemibono yezinhlelo. Ababandakanyi abazisa ngalo mnikelo bakhethwe ngenhloso ebantwini bezwe elisathuthuka labakhiqizi bepulasitiki nababambiqhaza embonini yepulasitiki. Ucwaningo lunokugomela okusha. Kutholakale ukuthi uhlelo lokubambisana lwezindawo, olunezifunda, kufanele lusetshenziswe kulabo ababambiqhaza. Ukwengeza, isifundo sezinhlelo zezimboni sithatha indawo yokukhiqiza kanye nezinhlelo zokusebenzisa ngamabomu ngaphakathi kwamazinga esifunda, ngohlelo lokujikeleza olufana nalolo olutholakala emphakathini wezinto eziphilayo zemvelo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kunesidingo sokudlulela ngale kwezikhundla zababambiqhaza eziqhudelanayo kuye ekuncikeni komphakathi nokuyinkimbinkimbi okuhlanganisa ngokuyisisekelo nabanamandla ababambiqhaza ngaphakathi kokubambisana kohlelo lwezimboni olubuyisela esimweni kwezenhlalo-mnotho. Lokhu kugomela kuboniswe ikakhulukazi ngomthelela wobhubhane lwe-COVID-19 kanye nokuvuka kwangempela kokuthi umhlaba uxhumeke kakhulu futhi uncike ekubambisaneni komphakathi phakathi kwababambiqhaza. Umbono wokuziphatha wokukhiqiza obandakanya isimo lapho into ethile ishintsha ngezinga elifanayo nenye waphonselwa inselelo nemibono yesifundo sezinhlelo zezimboni ezibuyisela esimweni zesifunda ezingabongwa kahle ezidinga amasu abashayeli abasebenzayo ukuze basebenze ngaphakathi kwezinhlelo zempendulo ezifanele emphakathini wezinto eziphilayo zemvelo. Ucwaningo olwengeziwe lungahlola futhi lunwebe izinkinga eziyinkimbinkimbi zokusimama kwemvelo ngokwandisa ububanzi nesilinganiso samasu amasha nemisebenzi esetshenziswa abakhiqizi bepulasitiki nababambiqhaza bawo.