thumbnail_download (3).png

download (3).png

This collection is part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. 

This is a result of the collaboration with the <a href="https://www.acen.africa" target="_blank">African Circular Economy Network (ACEN)</a>, as part of the programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa. Footprints Africa's vision is that businesses can be a force for good at scale. Their mission is to advance sustainable, scalable and inclusive approaches to development of local African economies. Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, such as those inspired by the circular economy, to address the challenges of growth and create jobs. 

This open-source dataset features well over 500 cases and 200 examples of policies and laws and intent to collect inspiring examples of initiatives from across Africa, in order to inform the global dialogue, which is largely focused on the European and American context. 

To learn more about Africa's initiatives and content to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, visit https://www.footprintsafrica.co/



thumbnail_download.jpg

download.jpg

Footprints Africa

large_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

medium_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

small_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

thumbnail_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

Business case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Direct and indirect effects that increase revenues or the potential for new revenues, for example from new products, customer segments, partnerships or business models

Revenue Potential

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Refining and processing ores and producing ferrous and non-ferrous metal and glass products, including packaging

Metal and Glass

Processing and producing food and beverages for consumption

Food and Beverage

While resources are in-use, maintain, repair and upgrade them to maximise their lifetime and give them a second life through take back strategies when applicable

Stretch the lifetime

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Give products and parts another life after their end-of-use

Maximise lifetime of products after use

Slow strategies aim to keep materials in use for as long as possible, for example through design for durability and repairability. A more circular economy is also a slower one: materials, components, and products—and even buildings and infrastructure—that we lock in stocks are made to last. This will lower material demand in the long run, in essence also serving to narrow resource flows.

Slow

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

![Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2024_10_21_at_16_53_12_12858da6aa.png)

Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

medium_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

small_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

thumbnail_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

 Gaborone 03 June 2021, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism recently launched waste recovery pilot project in the government enclave, Gaborone. The event was part of the activities held to mark commemoration of World Environment Day which was held on the 5th of June 2021.
When giving keynote on the occasion to launch the waste recovery project in the government enclave the minister Of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism Honorable Philda Kereng said the project is expected to create employment and develop a strong waste recycling industry in Botswana.   Minister Kereng alluded that currently the waste recovery initiatives in Botswana are limited to production of waste paper, bottles, plastics, scrap metal recovery and transportation of the same to neighbouring countries where there are waste recycling plants hence creating jobs in those countries. She said Botswana needed a deliberate policy initiative to empower other citizens to derive benefits from the waste sector.
The Minister also explained that the Botswana Cabinet approved the Integrated Waste Management Policy in April 2021. According to Kereng this policy seeks to promote deriving value out of waste through its value chain. Treating waste as valuable resource will not only lead to improving environmental aesthetic, but will also have significant economic benefits as it will provide opportunities for waste based enterprise that will improve the livelihoods of local communities. The youth are more innovative and given an opportunity and a conducive environment, they can provide local solutions to our waste management challenges.
Kereng also appealed to the private sector to come on board and actively participate in the waste recovery and recycling initiatives. She concluded by highlighting that the  success of this pilot project will lead to the rollout to other institutions in our districts, towns and cities to make this a national programme.
The other objectives of waste paper segregation in the government enclave are:
• To create awareness on sustainable waste management practices.
• To encourage segregation at source at the workplace.
• To foster public, private sector collaboration on waste management.
• To test proof a concept on waste separation at source and circular economy. 







    




Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd is a South African based can recovery and recycling organisation with a head office and seven branches across southern Africa, including branches in Botswana and Namibia.
Collect-a-Can founders, ArcelorMittal South Africa and Nampak, started the company in 1993 to proactively address the steel beverage can industry’s responsibility to the environment. This resulted in the recovery of all scrap tinplate generated in the tinplate and can-making processes, including cut-offs, misprints, sub-standard fills, and most importantly used metal cans.
Since Collect-a-Can started, southern Africa’s used beverage can recovery rate has improved from 18% to approximately 72%.
We work actively within various communities, encouraging citizens from all walks of life to assist us in our can collecting efforts. 
Our ‘Cash for Cans’ initiative encourages cans to be collected and sold to Collect-a-Can for cash, because we know that recovery and recycling aids job creation in many communities and creates an additional source of income for schools, non-governmental organisations, and other community groups. This initiative safeguards the livelihood of thousands of unemployed South Africans and allows community development across the southern African region.
Our focus has since changed to the recovery of all scrap aluminium beverage cans, as the main producer of cans, Nampak Bevcan, has converted to aluminium. However, we still buy steel beverage cans as well.  The value of used aluminium beverage cans is much higher than that of tin-plated steel beverage cans, therefore aluminium recovery and recycling is a more economically viable option for informal can collectors to earn a living or supplement a low income. However, steel beverage cans are still valuable and is worth collecting.
Why not join the CANvironmentally friendly movement to protect our planet? You can start today… It just makes cents…
    





 Collect-a-Can still creates enthusiasm among the youth and create awareness of the importance of recycling and protecting our environment by not littering.

   



 Collect-a-Can’s efforts in the recovery of used metal cans help municipalities, who are feeling the effect of financial and space pressures, to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill sites – thereby also benefiting the tax payer.

   



 We work within all communities, encouraging citizens from all walks of life to assist us with our can-collecting efforts through our Cash for Cans initiative.

    




 There are many reasons to choose cans over any other type packaging, click to see why.

   



 View events for the year.

   


       



It is our vision to be the most successful, self-sustaining, one-way packaging recovery company, dedicated to the realisation of the land where metal cans exist in harmony with the environment.
    




Collect-a-Can has received local and international acclaim for our contribution towards protecting the environment and our significant contribution to job creation and poverty alleviation.
    

 

South Africa

Africa

Namibia

large_justice-hubane-OjmO-dNF0lQ-unsplash.jpg

medium_justice-hubane-OjmO-dNF0lQ-unsplash.jpg

small_justice-hubane-OjmO-dNF0lQ-unsplash.jpg

thumbnail_justice-hubane-OjmO-dNF0lQ-unsplash.jpg

justice-hubane-OjmO-dNF0lQ-unsplash.jpg

Gaborone

large_blob

medium_blob

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

Collect-a-can Botswana

<p>Collect-a-Can is can recovery and recycling organisation. They recover scrap tinplate generated in the tinplate and can-making processes, including sludge, cut-offs (skeletons), misprints, and sub-standard fills, and most importantly they recover all types of used metal cans. The organisation runs a "Cash for Cans" initiative, which encourages people to collect cans and sell them to Collect-a-Can for cash. Collect-a-Can creates enthusiasm among the youth and creates awareness of the importance of recycling and protecting our environment by not littering.</p>