SA Plastics Pact | Reuse Innovation Challenge 2021

Application Deadline: 1 February 2021

The South African Plastics Pact is working towards a circular economy for plastics, a South Africa where plastics are valued and do not pollute our environment.  Part of the solution is to increase the number of reusable packaging items used in place of single use packaging.

The SA Plastics Pacts invites packaging designers, product developers, innovators and inventors (independent or affiliated) to enter the SA Plastics Pact | Reuse Innovation Challenge 2021. 

Solutions needed

The South African Plastics Pact is looking for reusable packaging solutions that can be viably implemented by brand owners and retailers in South Africa. This solution should be geared towards reducing the amount of plastic waste in South Africa, ideally addressing currently non-recyclable plastics or those that are often littered.

The size of the prize

To this end, the SA Plastics Pact is hosting a Reuse Innovation Challenge competition, which will reward innovators with the best designs for sharing their ideas with a prize pot of R500 000 in cash. The prize money will be shared among a maximum of three winners, with the potential for product development or implementation assistance through partner companies from the SA Plastics Pact membership.

All innovators welcome

The competition is open to all packaging or product development designers and innovators, industrial designers, brand owners, retailers, entrepreneurs and anyone who has an innovative idea or pilot project with regards to reuse delivery models.

Solution types for entry

Competition entrants should submit their proposed designs of reusable packaging items and/or systems that would replace single-use packaging items at a B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) facing level. Designs should include the systems and mechanisms which would be used to complete the packaging reuse cycle.

Innovations are not limited to physical products, but could also be systems or models for the reuse cycling of packaging items. For more inspiration, please click here and here.

Candidates with the most practicable ideas and designs that are viable and ready (or near ready) for implementation in the South African retail or FMCG sector will be chosen by the judges. Winners will be selected by a panel of specialist judges including brand owners and retailers which would be the target business partners for implementing the reusable packaging solutions. Some criteria that judges will be looking for include:

• Amount of single use packaging it will displace
• Ease of implementation
• Cost effectiveness
• Adaptability to different products or retailers
• Expected number of completed cycles
• Recycled content used & recyclability at end of life

Additional points will be granted for innovations that increase the uptake and inclusion of recycled plastic content. All reusable packaging items must be recyclable once they have completed the desired number of reuse cycles. Please give an indication of the expected number of reuse cycles for your product, or the expected recovery of reusable packaging in your system.

Some ideas for items that have been identified as problematic, where innovations are needed. The list is provided, but does not rule out any other innovations:

• Beverage bottles / sleeved bottles
• Multilayer packaging in food service (including restaurants)
• Take away containers/ on the go items
• Homecare, detergents, personal care
• Dog food / dry food items
• Fruit and vegetables
• Any packs with dispensing pumps 

How to enter?

• Choose an item on the South African market which currently is packaged in plastic packaging that is not designed to be reused
• Develop reusable packaging solutions to replace it. This should include every aspect of the reuse cycle of that product (from fill to refill)

Who should enter?

Packaging designers, product developers, innovators and inventors (independent or affiliated)

When is closing date?

Submissions close 5pm, 1 February 2021

Where to send entry?

To submit please click here to access entry form

Please refer to the competition terms and conditions here.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SA Plastics Pact | Reuse Innovation Challenge 2021