Tetra Pak and Gayatri Paper Mills partnership bears fruit

Tetra Pak packaging being processed at the Gayatri operation

Tetra Pak and Gayatri Paper Mills’ partnership has reached fruition with the operational launch of the first carton recycling facility of its kind in South Africa during the World Environment Week.

The partnership between food processing and packaging Tetra Pak and recycling operation Gayatri Paper Mills ensures the complete, environmentally responsible and friendly lifecycle of the carton from cradle to grave, as 6 000 tons of used beverage cartons per annum are destined for local reuse. Continue reading →

Sustainable plantation management makes all the difference.

It’s World Water Day today, 22 March 2012. As the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), we thought we would share some interesting facts about the forestry, pulp and paper industry which has made significant advances in terms of environmental sustainability over recent decades. Continue reading →

What does climate change mean for our wetlands in South Africa?

What does climate change mean for our wetlands in South Africa?

Globally, wetland ecosystems provide many regulatory services such as water purification and flood attenuation.  In Africa, wetlands are very important to many people by providing provisioning services such as fodder for grazing, and water for domestic and agricultural use.  In the face of climate change, some of these services are becoming increasingly important, as is the growing need to appreciate how society, wetlands and climate are closely connected in direct and indirect ways.  While wetlands may be victims of human-induced climate change, at the same time they also provide a way of lessening the change itself and helping us to adapt to climate change.  Continue reading →

The wonder of wetlands

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness?  Let them be left!
Gerald Manley Hopkins (1844 – 89), “Inversnaid”.

 Wetlands occur in all shapes and sizes from tiny mountain seeps to gigantic river deltas.  Wetlands all have one thing in common – they are threatened by humans. Let us explore the majesty of wetlands but also their vital importance to life on earth.

Continue reading →