03.01.24
Raymond Chimhandamba, Handas Consulting
(Africa Market Nonwoven/Hygiene Specialist), Johannesburg, South Africa
The key drivers for sustainable products and processes in nonwovens varies by market, but for the last two decades, the concerns over global warming has been driving change. This has pushed consumers, brand owners and product manufacturers alike to come up with more sustainable products. Other factors driving sustainably-focused efforts include the uncertainty of future petroleum supply and cost as well as diminishing space for landfills versus an ever-growing population.
Many of the products produced by the nonwovens industry like wet wipes and diapers are disposable. This puts them in the cross hairs of anyone concerned with sustainability or the circular economy. A report on the Sustainable Nonwoven Market and Trends, published by Smithers, discusses how consumers, retailers and governments have all viewed these products with questions, desires and sometimes demands of how they should be more sustainable and goes on to make the comment that, “It is imperative that the nonwovens industry continues to progress toward sustainability in products and processes; first, because it is good for the global community and second, because it is (in the long term) good for business.”
Plastic waste recycling and recycled garments are the two of these industries with the closest proximity to nonwovens. Africa has a few hubs that are strong in textiles. These include Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Togo. East Africa is fast replacing East Asia as a textile and apparel manufacturing hub. PVH, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and other international brands have opened up factories in Ethiopia. According to African Business magazine, plans are under way to increase the exports of cotton from Cotonou, the capital of Togo, from the current $500-600 million to $11 billion by 2030, from 32 integrated factories. Currently, Togo exports more than 700,000 tons of cotton per year and making it one of the leading producers of cotton on the continent. A circular textiles economy would benefit Africa better. One immediate opportunity includes converting fashion and textiles waste into garments for commercial export markets. Other changes can start at the agriculture stage, using regenerative practices for the growing of crops such as cotton that renew the soil, and initiatives that move away from ‘fast fashion’ to ‘upcycling’ existing garments. Nigeria also has great initiatives in recycling from plastic, textile and tire sectors.
Plastic is a big part of the ever-growing consumer goods packaging sector. To mitigate the environmental effects of the material, new circular-inspired incentives and solutions are needed. Legislation such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) forces brand owners to demonstrate how their brands are minimizing their impact on the environment. Relevant initiatives under EPR range from monetary contributions towards sector bodies that drive the recycling initiatives, ensuring that the packaging is geared for recycling by managing colors the types and number of plastics in any one packaging unit and so on. Nigeria and South Africa are quite advanced in recycling in general and especially plastic recycling. Some of the data from Plastics South Africa indicates that countries like South Africa are actually ahead Europe in plastic and glass recycling. What is also interesting is that Europe’s recycling is driven by legislation whereby individuals are legislated to separate at source (in the household where the waste is created) while in South Africa, high unemployment levels are what drives the recycling sector and the majority of the collection happens from landfill rather than from the household. In addition, in South Africa, the collection side of the recycling sector is still highly informal and is only making baby steps now to become formalized.
I know a European manufacturer that has stepped in to resolve the “flying toilets” challenge. They came up with a biodegradable plastic solution that can disintegrate together with its contents to become manure. This same solution has been taken further and has been used in refugee camps in other parts of the globe, where ablution facilities are in short supply.
It is often said that the forests are the lungs of the earth. In this regard, the Congo basin is doing its part to keep mother earth healthy. Naturally.
Africa has also had its firsts in sustainability. A good example is that Kenya and Tanzania banned single use plastics way ahead of the EU. As an African and one who also is active in the sustainability space, it is a point that I am most proud of.
Africa’s initiatives in reusable sanitary pads made from cloth and old T-shirts are also a good example of some of the practical, viable solutions that Africa has brought to the table. Not only Africa but also the developing world including India. Again, driven by need and not by design, the sustainability outcome is undeniable.
At the nonwovens level, several major manufacturers like PFNonwovens and Spunchem are already operating in the African region. Fibertex also has a manufacturing facility in South Africa, but it is more focused on geotextiles. This facility is the largest nonwoven geotextiles manufacturing facility in Africa and the only facility on the continent to manufacture a nonwoven geotextile certified to 100 year durability. PFNonwovens has production facilities in Egypt and South Africa and Spunchem has production only in South Africa. Other bigger names in nonwovens that are headquartered in Europe or the U.S., have presence in some form or other in Africa, and with representative offices and subsidiary businesses.
Africa also has some locally-owned specialized nonwoven capacity and these producers are also focusing on sustainability. I know one highly specialized nonwovens manufacturer in acoustics, thermal insulation and sound control and absorption that also makes mattresses from foam rubber that comes from recycled materials. In recycling, slowly we are beginning to see the jumbo polypropylene bags being recycled. Single use retail bags are being replaced by reusable nonwoven bags and we are seeing this in premium retail chains like Woolworths as well as in mass retailers like Pick n Pay. So it is clear that the circular economy bug is catching on and spreading fairly quickly.
(Africa Market Nonwoven/Hygiene Specialist), Johannesburg, South Africa
Definitions and Key Drivers
The drive for sustainable products and processes in nonwovens has been growing for several decades now, although the pace varies greatly by end-use, process, market and application. All indications are that the sustainable nonwovens market is growing faster, especially in the mature markets of Europe and North America.The key drivers for sustainable products and processes in nonwovens varies by market, but for the last two decades, the concerns over global warming has been driving change. This has pushed consumers, brand owners and product manufacturers alike to come up with more sustainable products. Other factors driving sustainably-focused efforts include the uncertainty of future petroleum supply and cost as well as diminishing space for landfills versus an ever-growing population.
Many of the products produced by the nonwovens industry like wet wipes and diapers are disposable. This puts them in the cross hairs of anyone concerned with sustainability or the circular economy. A report on the Sustainable Nonwoven Market and Trends, published by Smithers, discusses how consumers, retailers and governments have all viewed these products with questions, desires and sometimes demands of how they should be more sustainable and goes on to make the comment that, “It is imperative that the nonwovens industry continues to progress toward sustainability in products and processes; first, because it is good for the global community and second, because it is (in the long term) good for business.”
Circular Economy is Promising
The World Economic Forum believes that the circular economy, with the right enabling, offers a promising opportunity for economic development, value creation and skills development for Africa. It has identified five industries in Africa that could offer the biggest opportunities for increased circularity in sectors that will support the economy, jobs and the environment in the long term. The sectors are: waste conversion industry, plastic recycling, mass timber industry, e-waste recycling industry and recycled garments industry.Plastic waste recycling and recycled garments are the two of these industries with the closest proximity to nonwovens. Africa has a few hubs that are strong in textiles. These include Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Togo. East Africa is fast replacing East Asia as a textile and apparel manufacturing hub. PVH, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and other international brands have opened up factories in Ethiopia. According to African Business magazine, plans are under way to increase the exports of cotton from Cotonou, the capital of Togo, from the current $500-600 million to $11 billion by 2030, from 32 integrated factories. Currently, Togo exports more than 700,000 tons of cotton per year and making it one of the leading producers of cotton on the continent. A circular textiles economy would benefit Africa better. One immediate opportunity includes converting fashion and textiles waste into garments for commercial export markets. Other changes can start at the agriculture stage, using regenerative practices for the growing of crops such as cotton that renew the soil, and initiatives that move away from ‘fast fashion’ to ‘upcycling’ existing garments. Nigeria also has great initiatives in recycling from plastic, textile and tire sectors.
Plastic is a big part of the ever-growing consumer goods packaging sector. To mitigate the environmental effects of the material, new circular-inspired incentives and solutions are needed. Legislation such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) forces brand owners to demonstrate how their brands are minimizing their impact on the environment. Relevant initiatives under EPR range from monetary contributions towards sector bodies that drive the recycling initiatives, ensuring that the packaging is geared for recycling by managing colors the types and number of plastics in any one packaging unit and so on. Nigeria and South Africa are quite advanced in recycling in general and especially plastic recycling. Some of the data from Plastics South Africa indicates that countries like South Africa are actually ahead Europe in plastic and glass recycling. What is also interesting is that Europe’s recycling is driven by legislation whereby individuals are legislated to separate at source (in the household where the waste is created) while in South Africa, high unemployment levels are what drives the recycling sector and the majority of the collection happens from landfill rather than from the household. In addition, in South Africa, the collection side of the recycling sector is still highly informal and is only making baby steps now to become formalized.
Unique Challenges, Unique Solutions
Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya, is the biggest slum in Africa, and one of the biggest in the world. The informal settlement is overcrowded and underserviced. Most families here live in windowless one-room 12x12 foot shacks, with mud walls, a corrugated tin roof and a dirt or concrete floor, accommodating up to eight people or more. Life here is hard. Crime is high. Municipal services, like electricity or sewage, are in short supply. Kibera used to have a unique problem of “flying toilets.” No joke. People were afraid to risk stepping out into the dark of night. So they literally do it into a bag and just throw it out into the dark of night. Over the years many interventions have come in and things are improving.I know a European manufacturer that has stepped in to resolve the “flying toilets” challenge. They came up with a biodegradable plastic solution that can disintegrate together with its contents to become manure. This same solution has been taken further and has been used in refugee camps in other parts of the globe, where ablution facilities are in short supply.
Africa’s Contribution to the Circular Economy
The global carbon credit market is valued at $909 billion. Africa is beginning to tap into this lucrative resource but a more coordinated effort across the continent could go a long way to allow Africa to reap rich benefits. By investing in eco-friendly projects elsewhere, industrialized nations and businesses are able to offset their carbon emissions via carbon credit markets. Africa can leverage its wealth of renewable energy sources to benefit from this potentially lucrative market. South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Malawi, Gabon, Togo and Nigeria have started exploring these opportunities through solar, wind and hydroelectric power initiatives and the new African Carbon Markets Initiative. ACMI has a target to unlock $6 billion in revenue and create 30 million jobs by 2030, according to an article in African Business. An encouraging example is the Olkaria 2 Unit 3 Geothermal Expansion Project in Kenya that helped add 35 megawatts of electricity to the Kenyan national grid and issued over 230,000 carbon credits. The Earthcare Solid Waste Composting Project in Nigeria was expected to issue about 30,000 carbon credits by the end 2023.It is often said that the forests are the lungs of the earth. In this regard, the Congo basin is doing its part to keep mother earth healthy. Naturally.
Africa has also had its firsts in sustainability. A good example is that Kenya and Tanzania banned single use plastics way ahead of the EU. As an African and one who also is active in the sustainability space, it is a point that I am most proud of.
Africa’s initiatives in reusable sanitary pads made from cloth and old T-shirts are also a good example of some of the practical, viable solutions that Africa has brought to the table. Not only Africa but also the developing world including India. Again, driven by need and not by design, the sustainability outcome is undeniable.
Trickle Down Effect
Whatever sustainable nonwoven solutions are developed, they will, with time, trickle down to the African region. If not sooner than later, depending on the end use. For example, if the application is baby diapers, it will most likely hit the African shores in the short- to medium-term. The reason I am confident is that four of the top five global diaper manufacturers are already manufacturing on the continent: Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unicharm and Hayat. One only has to look at how quickly we began to see innovations within the baby diaper space trickle down to our part of the world like lotion, channels etc., to predict how quickly sustainably-focused innovations will follow. Even much earlier innovations like cloth-like back sheet, Velcro closures, wetness indicator, double leg cuffs, etc., did not take very long to get to African markets and before long African mothers were already making them the benchmark to measure a quality diaper.At the nonwovens level, several major manufacturers like PFNonwovens and Spunchem are already operating in the African region. Fibertex also has a manufacturing facility in South Africa, but it is more focused on geotextiles. This facility is the largest nonwoven geotextiles manufacturing facility in Africa and the only facility on the continent to manufacture a nonwoven geotextile certified to 100 year durability. PFNonwovens has production facilities in Egypt and South Africa and Spunchem has production only in South Africa. Other bigger names in nonwovens that are headquartered in Europe or the U.S., have presence in some form or other in Africa, and with representative offices and subsidiary businesses.
Africa also has some locally-owned specialized nonwoven capacity and these producers are also focusing on sustainability. I know one highly specialized nonwovens manufacturer in acoustics, thermal insulation and sound control and absorption that also makes mattresses from foam rubber that comes from recycled materials. In recycling, slowly we are beginning to see the jumbo polypropylene bags being recycled. Single use retail bags are being replaced by reusable nonwoven bags and we are seeing this in premium retail chains like Woolworths as well as in mass retailers like Pick n Pay. So it is clear that the circular economy bug is catching on and spreading fairly quickly.