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Increasing infrastructure investment would boost South Africa’s potential growth, OECD survey asserts

By: Terence Creamer 31st July 2020 Higher levels of infrastructure investment are needed to increase South Africa’s potential growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) latest survey of South Africa asserts. Released on July 31, the report warns that the South African economy could contract by as... →

Construction rubble is functional, says demolition expert

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 31st July 2020 While a large proportion of demolition and construction rubble is allocated to registered landfill sites, it is critical to note that this material is often used to rehabilitate the landfill sites, says demolition solutions provider Jet Demolition contracts manager Kate Bester. She explains... →

GETTING IT SORTED The majority of construction materials can be sorted and cleaned mechanically either before or during demolition activities

Hempcrete advantageous for construction

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 31st July 2020 Hempcrete provides several advantages when used for the construction of a building, says Cape Town-based architecture firm Wolf and Wolf Architecture founder and principal Wolf Wolf. Hempcrete is a fully biodegradable material that comprises hemp hurds – the woody core removed during processing... →

Photo by Wolf
SUPERIOR BENEFITS Hemp boasts several characteristics that make it superior from an ecological and economic perspective

Polyco investing in HDPE recycling infrastructure

By: Schalk Burger 30th July 2020 The Polyolefin Responsibility Organisation (Polyco) is investing in infrastructure and end-use development that is essential to growing the collection, recycling and beneficiation of polyolefin plastic waste. This follows research it conducted into the economic potential of one of its key market... →

Trade rules can help to stem growing plastic pollution, says Unctad

By: Schalk Burger 28th July 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a surge in pollution from disposable products like plastic face masks, gloves, food packaging and hand sanitiser bottles, but effective trade rules can help limit the further spread of waste, says United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad)... →

Gauteng SACP, Cosatu united in condemning corruption

By: Sane Dhlamini 27th July 2020 The Gauteng branch of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have called on the Gauteng provincial government to act decisively and swiftly on allegations of corruption relating to coronavirus (Covid-19) efforts. The unions said action... →

Gauteng Premier David Makhura

Researchers build AI tool capable of identifying individual birds

By: Schalk Burger 27th July 2020 New research demonstrates for the first time that artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to train computers to recognise individual birds; a task humans are unable to do. Researchers from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, based at the University of Cape Town (UCT); the French... →

DMRE goes live with Carbon Offset Administration System

By: Marleny Arnoldi 22nd July 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, as the administrator of the Carbon Offset Administrator, has activated the Carbon Offset Administration System (COAS) to be live as of July 23. COAS will facilitate the receipt and approval of project applications, as well as the issuance of the... →

Green Connection welcomes extended period to comment on Total scoping report

By: Marleny Arnoldi 22nd July 2020 Environmental consultancy SLR Consulting, on behalf of Total Exploration & Production South Africa, has granted respondents 30 additional days to comment on the company’s draft scoping report for further oil exploration and drilling in blocks 11B and 12B, along the Southern Cape coast. The... →

CW report highlights impact of corruption in health sector

By: Sane Dhlamini 22nd July 2020 Not for profit organisation Corruption Watch (CW) on Wednesday released its ‘X-Ray: The critical state of the health sector in SA’ report which aims to uncover the impact of corruption in the healthcare sector. The report demonstrates how people who are reliant on public health facilities in... →

Scrutiny of new carbon tax regulations can save firms millions

17th July 2020 Almost all of the pieces of the jigsaw are now in place to enable some companies to make big savings on their Carbon Tax bills, Cova Advisory says. However, detailed scrutiny and careful analysis is needed to apply for allowances, some of which were only laid out in detail last month. →

Duane Newman

Fight against plastic waste being won on South Coast

17th July 2020 The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Marine Waste Network South Coast took place earlier this year at the Amanzimtoti Lagoon, in which Plastics SA played a key role. →

PVC manufacturer emphasises proper use of plastic

By: Theresa Bhowan 17th July 2020 While the world is moving towards using less single use plastic, Durban-based polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compound manufacturer Innovative PVC Compounds (IPC) CEO Mubeen Siddiqi says the world cannot function without certain types of plastic, and people rather need to be more responsible in using... →

CURIOUS COMPOUNDS The medical-grade compounds that the company produces are supplied to vendors in the healthcare industry and have been in constant supply

Global mayors put social, climate wellbeing at the forefront of crises recovery

By: Marleny Arnoldi 16th July 2020 Mayors representing the Global Mayors Covid-19 Recovery Task Force held a press conference on July 15 to release a detailed agenda that outlines specific measures and principles that are necessary for a sustainable and equitable recovery that addresses the immediate pandemic, as well as ensures... →

WEF stresses need for nature-based solutions and business involvement

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 15th July 2020 A new report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the 'Future of Nature and Business' report, has found that nature-positive solutions can create $10.1-trillion in economic opportunity and counter growing biodiversity losses, while creating 393-million jobs by 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic... →

Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado Quesada and World Economic Forum Nature Action Agenda head Akanksha Khatri detail the importance of pursuing nature-based solutions, and the recent WEF report that supports this.

Coca-Cola Beverages rolls out returnable PET bottle to more provinces

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th July 2020 Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is expanding the roll-out of its returnable 2 ℓ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles across northern Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. This follows the successful roll out of these bottles in the Eastern Cape as a pilot project in February. →

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa's returnable PET bottle

New piezometer boosts existing safety standards

By: Halima Frost 10th July 2020 The installation of South Africa’s first Slimline vibrating wire piezometer, which is distributed by geotechnical service provider GeoGroup, is set to take place when the current Covid-19 lockdown regulations allow. The company says the piezometer will be instrumental in ensuring accurate... →

GeoGroup director Grant Rijsmus discusses the company’s Slimline Vibrating Wire Piezometer. Camerawork: Kutlwano Matala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 10.06.2020

Hulamin becomes first aluminium semi-fabricator to achieve emissions milestone

By: Donna Slater 9th July 2020 Aluminium products manufacturer Hulamin reports that it has become the first global aluminium semi-fabricator to have a greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi mobilises companies to set science-based targets and boost their... →

Shift from high- to low-carbon must be systematic and just – Mantashe

By: Terence Creamer 9th July 2020 South Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, used the platform created by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Clean Energy Transitions Summit on July 9 to stress that South Africa’s shift from a high-carbon to a low-carbon path needed to be both systematic and just.... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe

Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission seen as key to navigating South Africa’s ‘just transition’

By: Terence Creamer 7th July 2020 A member of South Africa’s National Planning Commission has called for the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission to be established, arguing that such a multi-stakeholder institutional platform is required to implement the just transition vision outlined in the country’s National... →

GreenCape partners with Swiss foundation to promote cleantech companies

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th July 2020 Green economy solutions company GreenCape has entered into a collaboration agreement with Solar Impulse Foundation through the International Cleantech Network (ICN). GreenCape will help the foundation to find, select and promote 1 000 clean and profitable solutions that contribute to protecting... →

Nedbank launches SDG-linked capital instrument

By: Marleny Arnoldi 6th July 2020 Nedbank has launched a new “green” tier two capital instrument that is linked with sustainable development goals (SDG), which is the first of its kind in South Africa. The instrument is linked on the green bonds segment of the JSE. →

CoJ council has until Friday to approve budget

By: Sane Dhlamini 6th July 2020 Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile has urged the City of Johannesburg Municipal Council to put the interest of the residents of the City first following its failure to approve an annual budget for the start of the municipal financial year 2020/21. The Gauteng Provincial Executive... →

Interface increases recycled content in its flooring products

By: Donna Slater 3rd July 2020 Modular flooring producer Interface will, going forward, produce its luxury vinyl tile (LVT) products with an exceptionally high (39%) content of recycled material, without compromising any quality. According to the company, this achievement represents a “breakthrough” in sustainable flooring,... →

New spillway increases dam capacity

3rd July 2020 The installation of a newly developed spillway on the Garden Route dam in George, Western Cape, has successfully increased the potential capacity of the dam to 12.5-million cubic metres, says consulting engineering company Aurecon dam engineer Frank Denys. The company was tasked to raise the... →

LONG WAY The newly developed elongated spillway, aptly named the duckbill allows for 25% more capacity on the Garden Route Dam

Pikitup shuts two depots following spike in Covid-19 cases

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 2nd July 2020 The City of Johannesburg’s waste management entity Pikitup has received confirmation that a further 30 employees at the Roodepoort depot have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of employees infected by the virus to 45. The Roodepoort depot was initially closed on June 15 when... →

Green hydrogen opportunity for South Africa to drive economic recovery

By: Simone Liedtke 29th June 2020 The opportunity for South Africa to couple its renewable energy economic stimulus to non-electricity prospects presents the possibility for a new power export market, which can be laid now. The economic and energy benefits of green hydrogen is one of the many prospects discussed during the recent... →

Hulisani CEO Marubini Raphulu

Standard Bank shareholders re-elect nonexecs despite Just Share concerns

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th June 2020 Financial services provicer Standard Bank Group has welcomed the reappointment of all its nonexecutive directors, including those that were alleged to be climate change conflicted by activist organisation Just Share. Standard Bank earlier in June reiterated its commitment to a climate-related... →

Covid-19 brings about a wider scope of opportunity for energy, water, waste sectors

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th June 2020 While Covid-19 has resulted in delays in investment in South Africa, it has also given rise to some new opportunities in the green economy space, across sectors including energy, water, agriculture and waste management, says nonprofit green economy organisation GreenCape. Since publishing its... →

South Africa's recycling insufficient to meet its waste management goals

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th June 2020 South Africa is not recycling enough of its waste to achieve the targets it has set, waste management company Interwaste technical director Mike Nicholls tells Engineering News. He notes that there is a problem in getting accurate recycling statistics. He explains that, from an industry... →

Company adapts to new norm, despite economic concerns

By: Cameron Mackay 26th June 2020 Despite stoppages in current projects, and a downturn in the economy that has restricted the pipeline of incoming projects, consulting engineering company SRK Consulting MD Vis Reddy says the company and its project teams have adapted well to working remotely. Cloud-based data storage systems,... →

POST-LOCKDOWN PROSPECTS With local air travel reopened for business purposes, essential site visits will be possible, and more practical

Local company involved in Malawi railway link

26th June 2020 This year, environmental consulting engineers JG Afrika completed hydrological, topographical, sedimentation and climate studies to assist the Malawian government in rebuilding railway infrastructure. This was done in an area of the country that is prone to devastating floods. →

FLOOD TOIL TEARS AND SWEAT Floods caused significant erosion and wash away damage on several sections of the railway line that are in close proximity to the river

RCL Foods, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa among new SA Plastics Pact members

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th June 2020 Six new members have joined the South African Plastics Pact (SA Plastics Pact), which demonstrates their commitment towards keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment. These members are consumer goods company RCL Foods, plastic manufacturer Berry Astrapack, plastic pallet... →

Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses in our communities – Dlamini-Zuma

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd June 2020 Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday declared that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has exposed the weaknesses and deep fault lines in basic services, infrastructure, poverty and hunger, as well as in economic activities in rural... →

Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

Nigerians bid to sue Shell in UK over oil spill pollution

By: Bloomberg 23rd June 2020 Thousands of Nigerians are asking British judges to give them permission to sue Royal Dutch Shell Plc in London over environmental damage caused by oil spills 3,000 miles away in Africa. Lawyers for residents of the crude-rich Niger Delta believe a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling last year... →

Electric vehicle rally to maintain demand for battery metals despite Covid-19

By: Donna Slater 19th June 2020 Although subdued as a result of Covid-19, demand for battery metals, including cobalt, lithium and copper, will remain strong as a result of growth in the global electric vehicles (EV) market, business intelligence company CRU UK cobalt, lithium and battery markets senior analyst George Heppel... →

Going online boosts carbon saving for industry

19th June 2020 Global industry body the World Biogas Association (WMA) maintains that by hosting the first World Biogas eFestival online last month it has kept vibrant international dialogue going while making a carbon saving equivalent to that of planting over 6 600 trees. The World Biogas eFestival, proved to... →

GOING GREEN Hosting teh 2020 Biofuels eFestival not only highlighted the advantages of Biofuels but also contributed to a fair amount of decreased emissions by not attending an actual event

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Africa Cutting Energy Engen Environment Health Petroleum Projects Refinery Refining Shell Business Marine Resources Safety Sustainable Tourism Automotive Building Construction Consulting Freight Gas Manufacturing Power Industrial Systems Water Financial Service ... more

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