New data reveals how major SA brands tackled sustainability
NEWLY released data shows how South Africa’s collection and recycling sector received a significant boost from packaging producers and brand owners in 2025.
The investment in the sector, detailed in Petco’s annual results, reveals how members’ extended producer responsibility fees were used to boost the collection and recycling value chain across the country in 2025.
The audited results show that, on behalf of its members, Petco diverted 86,000 cubic metres of post-consumer packaging – namely PET plastic and liquid board packaging (LBP) – from landfill last year. This is 10,000 cubic metres more than in 2024 and is equivalent to 2,600 standard shipping containers.
Also shown is almost R9 million worth of equipment and infrastructure sponsored to support the work of grassroots collection businesses, and training for over 7,300 participants in recycling skills development workshops.
Additionally, member companies provided a further R90 million in financial support to recyclers, which enabled recyclers to purchase postconsumer packaging worth R600 million from recycling collection and buy-back centres.
Almost 70% of the PET beverage bottles and more than half of the long-life milk and juice cartons on supermarket shelves are put there by Petco members.
With the South African paper and packaging sector now in the fourth year of mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR).
Petco CEO Telly Chauke said members took their EPR obligations seriously, and that the organisation is once again delighted to meet legislated collection and recycling targets set by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for the key packaging streams it represents.
“Last year, we again met the targets for 99% of the packaging tonnages our members placed on the market,” Chauke confirmed. “It’s significant to have continued year-on-year growth in performance against the backdrop of a challenging year for brand owners, retailers, and importers, and the recycling industry. “However, we are also conscious of the additional value of EPR in terms of the social and environmental benefits of our work,” Chauke said. “Meeting our members’ EPR obligations, while partnering with government, industry and grassroots organisations to build a more inclusive, sustainable and effective circular economy, remains our primary focus.”
Since the 2023 launch of the new scheme for liquid board or beverage cartons, Petco has quadrupled the collection and recycling rates for this packaging material, to 33% and 31% respectively for 2025. Petco also recorded a higher-than-normal PET bottle collection rate last year – 14% more than the previous year’s 76% – and ensured that 87% was recycled
Petco chairman Ralph Jewson said: “Over the past two decades, Petco has developed a tried and tested EPR model that offers credible reporting and turned the ambition of bottle-to-bottle recycling into a circular reality. Today, this is a mature scheme with a fully developed value chain that continues to deliver results.”
Despite exceptional performance in 2025, Jewson said there were ongoing concerns about the financial pressure facing South Africa’s recycling value chain.
“The recycling system can only function effectively when every part of the value chain remains commercially viable, and there is steady demand for recycled content. Without stronger market support and fairer trading conditions, 2026 is expected to remain a difficult year for the recycling industry.” He added that growing future collection and recycling volumes would require all brand owners to design their packaging with the end of life in mind. “The aspiration of circularity comes with the responsibility to make better design choices that become standard practice,” he said.
