Plastics|SA (formerly the Plastics Federation of South Africa) is an umbrella organisation for the plastics industry in South Africa, and has permanently appointed professional staff.
Our primary functions are to:
• Be the “Gateway to” and “the Voice of” the SA Plastics Industry, supporting the Industry and gathering, sorting and disseminating information relating to the industry.
• Provide a forum for, and assistance and services to plastics Industry Associations.
• Promote plastics as a material of choice.
• Provide education and training services to the industry.
• Facilitate the environmental initiative of the plastics industry.
A Board governs Plastics|SA and this includes each of the constituent Associations that comprise it. Plastics|SA is funded by a levy on sales of locally manufactured plastics raw materials and a few small contributions from other Associations. It is registered as a Section 21 company - Association not for gain.
Constituent members of Plastics|SA are:
• Raw Material Suppliers, being: Safripol (Pty) Ltd and Sasol Polymers
• Downstream Converters, who belong to the Plastics Converters Association (PCA).
• Other Associations including: the Association of Rotational Moulders of South Africa (ARMSA),
SAMPLAS being the association representing the industry machinery suppliers in South Africa, the Plastics Institute of Southern Africa (PISA), the South African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA), PETCO; the South African Plastic Recyclers Organisation (SAPRO); the Polystyrene Packaging Council (PSPC); the S A Vinyls Council (SAVA); POLYCO - an organisation concerned with the future of polyethylenes and the Expanded Polystyrene Association of South Africa (EPSASA).
There are other plastics industry Associations, but these are currently dormant. Currently other new Associations are being formed to increase the representivity of the Industry through Plastics|SA.
Sustainability Council
In the case of the environmental issues, Plastics|SA recently formed the Sustainability Council, which provides strategic leadership to the industry on sustainability issues, consistent with the revised vision for the organisation. It is guided by stakeholders working together under the banner of the ‘Sustainability Council’, which is comprised of the polymer group organisations (PGOs), namely PETCO, POLYCO, SAVA, PSPC, MLPF, and SAPRO. Organisations such as PACSA, retailers, DEA, DTI, WESSA and others might be required by the Sustainability Council to join as members of the Council or to join technical sub-committees/portfolios dealing with specialist issues.
Membership of the associations is open to any company in the industry, or in the case of the Institute, open to individual persons from the Industry.
Plastics|SA is in a good position to represent the local industry. Staff members have a solid, unbiased understanding of the local plastics industry. A relationship of trust has developed over many years between the Industry and the former PFSA and companies often disclose information to us rather than to other research organisations, as they are assured of sensitive information being dealt with in a confidential manner.