One Man's Waste is Another Man's Treasure
“The Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) in Cape Town is Africa’s first industrial symbiosis programme. Initiated by the Western Cape Government, now funded by the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, and delivered by the non-profit GreenCape, WISP helps businesses identify new opportunities to exchange resources. Since it started in 2013 these synergies have diverted over 143,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, and created over 400 jobs. The programme has won multiple awards and inspired several other industrial symbiosis projects across Africa.”
“WISP connects companies, helping them identify opportunities to exchange unused or residual resources from one company’s manufacturing processes to become raw materials for another. WISP facilitators, specialising in different sectors, conduct site visits to understand the production processes of various companies, and identify opportunities to reuse and recycle secondary raw materials generated in manufacturing processes, as well as other opportunities for resource efficiency. While the service is free of charge, companies are asked to provide information about the impact of the synergies, which WISP stores securely in an online database and uses to track impacts and publish case studies.
Whilst some companies were initially sceptical about the costs of changing their business model, managing varying material flows, and getting the materials which meet their quality standards, the programme has shown that the benefits of becoming more resource efficient outweigh the costs of adapting their operations.”
“diverted more than 143,000 tonnes of waste from landfill
saved over 435,000 tonnes CO2e emissions (equivalent to the electricity consumption of 117,840 homes in South Africa)
created 411 economy-wide jobs, mainly in SMEs
generated ZAR 155 million (USD 8 million) in additional revenue, cost savings, and private investments.” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021)
The phrase “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” holds an idea that is explored throughout the above mentioned article. This article directly relates to the Local Loops problem space as it gives a real-world example of companies that are successfully turning manufacturing scraps into resources that can be used by other businesses and industries. The example mentioned in the article is the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme. In the article, they discuss how they help other businesses identify opportunities to exchange unused or scrap materials, allowing for hundreds of tons of waste to be given a new life and create jobs within the economy. It talks more about the waste that is produced by one company can become a useful resource for another. One possibility that could be explored by Marble Plastics is how we can collaborate with local designers or other industries in order to create something new that would benefit each party involved while reducing the overall amount of waste.
References:
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2021, June 2). Matchmaking companies to turn waste into profit: Cape Town. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/matchmaking-companies-to-turn-waste-into-profit-cape-town
