Revolutionary Vineyard Design Against Climate Change

Much like the ancient Ouroboros symbol, where a serpent bites its tail forming a renewal cycle, innovative South Africans are finding ways to close the loop.

Sustainability is a matter of responsibility and future security for many businesses. However, in South Africa, it is a true survival imperative.

South Africans view the urgency of their challenges as a motivating force for creative and practical solutions.

Sustainability in the Township – GreenUp as a Model Project

In Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town, jobs are scarce. Here, an innovative recycling initiative is taking root.

In 2019, Distell, in collaboration with the Western Cape Environmental Ministry and the City of Cape Town, launched the GreenUp project. Its goal is to reduce waste while simultaneously creating jobs.

Charles Wyeth, Deputy Head of Sustainability at Distell, emphasizes that the partnership connects city cleaning with training and income opportunities.

Waste collectors have been equipped with protective gear and collection carts and trained in the segregation of “post-consumer materials.” Recyclables are delivered to buyback centers and then reintegrated into the production cycle.

Participants also receive training in financial and entrepreneurial skills, fostering sustainable business models.

Recycling Creates Jobs

In Khayelitsha, there are now 165 environmental assistants actively supplying seven buyback centers.

Further programs have been established in Gauteng (Alexandra, Soweto) and KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, Newcastle), benefiting hundreds of people.

Each environmental assistant collects an average of 200 kilograms of recyclables per day – glass, PET, paper, metal, and plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Digital software connects the entire value chain, increasing transparency, efficiency, and skills of those involved.

Participants are supported by PROCARE, an organization focused on health, safety, and substance abuse prevention.

GreenUp also collaborates with the government’s Expanded Public Works Program to create additional employment opportunities.

A glass recycling initiative in KwaZulu-Natal started with Heineken, cleaning up informal settlements and areas around the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Reserve.

Additionally, Distell runs a bottle recovery program that digitally connects bottle return entrepreneurs and supports them in establishing independent businesses.

This reduces packaging footprints and counters the global bottle shortage.

According to Shabeer Jhetam, CEO of the Glass Recycling Company, glass recycling creates approximately 50,000 income opportunities nationwide. Over 80% of buyback centers generate additional jobs.

Currently, about 40% of glass fragments in South Africa are used to produce new bottles. By 2027, the collection rate is expected to rise to 64.4%, representing significant economic potential.

GreenUp received the Recycling Gamechanger Award from PETCO for its efforts.

Wyeth summarizes, “The next time you open a bottle or can, remember – it could be part of this cycle.”