Green Economy Journal Issue 31

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Issue 31 R29.00 incl VAT 9 772410 645003 11025

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IRP 2018 Need to know Breaking Frontiers High tech apps changing the future Circular Economy This is not about recycling Digitalisation Impacts on SA’s job front Water Opportunity versus crises Carbon Tax Preparing for 2019 2018/08/28 3:30 PM

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EDITOR: Melissa Baird

CONTRIBUTORS: Janine Basson Silvana Claassen Garyn Rapson

PROOFREADER: Natalie Mayer

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PROJECT MANAGER: Vania Reyneke

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PUBLISHER: Gordon Brown, Alive2Green Projects

PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 1st Floor Cape Media House 28 Main Road Rondebosch 7700 Cape Town TEL: 021 447 4733 FAX: 086 694 7443 REG NUMBER: 2005/003854/07 VAT Number: 4750243448 ISSN NUMBER: 2410-6453 PUBLICATION DATE: August 2018

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Green Economy Journal is audited by ABC Issue 31 R29.00 incl VAT 9 772410 645003 11025

IRP 2018 Need to know Breaking Frontiers High tech apps changing the future Circular Economy This is not about recycling Digitalisation Impacts on SA’s job front Water Opportunity versus crises Carbon Tax Preparing for 2019

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All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any way or in any form without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Publisher or the Editor. All editorial and advertising contributions are accepted on the understanding that the contributor either owns or has obtained all necessary copyrights and permissions. The Publisher does not endorse any claims made in the publication by or on behalf of any organisations or products. Please address any concerns in this regard to the Editor.

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I wrote an editorial about plastic straws years back, but never published it because I thought it too silly and wouldn’t communicate the issue of plastic pollution effectively. How can a straw tell the story of the gyres of plastic pollution choking the oceans, of sea creatures maimed and starved and tortured to death by a prison they can’t even see, and of the food chain being polluted by micro particles of plastic?

But perhaps the picture of the sea horse curled around a plastic ear bud could (excuse the pun) tip the straw into full focus.

Surprisingly, this has put me in a cynical frame of mind as I contemplate the sudden surge of optimism amongst consumers because their beloved fast food chain is giving up straws or disposable cups. As the statistics of ocean pollution become more apparent, there are people gathering to solve this crisis through beach clean-ups, plastic pollution awareness-raising campaigns, and pledges to stop using single-use plastic to help stem the seemingly unstoppable and life-destroying wave of plastic choking the waterways. Our marine hero, Lewis Pugh, is currently swimming the full length of the British Channel to draw attention to the ocean’s crisis. There are awards being issued to eco champions who are recycling and cleaning up. These people are doing their best and encouraging others to innovate to solve the problem, but when you have been in the sustainability sector for as long as I have, these efforts will fall short of the true systemic change that is required.

Awareness is the first step to change, but how does a linear economic model transform in today’s constrained resource economy?

This is where you will find the Circular Economy offering myriad benefits (read the article on page 10). Economic opportunities abound in this model, as do job prospects and environmental benefits.

The age of technology and digitalisation is already having massive impacts on employment rates and opportunities - see page 14 for an interesting perspective.

As for water, our regular columnist and SA’s primary and most vocal water scientist Prof Anthony Turton is going to lead a massive call to action for accountability in the water sector. Hopefully this will shake up those who oversee water affairs. I am fully behind this call to action, and you will be able to follow its progress from the next edition of the Green Economy Journal.

We are in a polluted age, thanks to corrupt systems that govern national resources, and a consumer system that ensures tons of detritus for the sake of convenience. Whether you want to eradicate plastic straws from the consumer loop, go plastic-free for a month, or stop supporting companies that have no social or environmental efforts, you are showing your commitment and willingness to change, and in your own way make a positive impact.

Melissa Baird www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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Contents

ISSUE 31

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14

08 10

Circular Economy

17 18 21

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On-site wastewater treatment, wildlife tourism guidelines, sustainable cities, bioplastic technology and eco-flooring

Integrated Resource Plan

14

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News and Updates

Overview of what you need to know and a call for comment

Europe’s leading participating cities and the positive impacts of thinking ‘round’

The Impact of Digitalisation

What jobs are most at threat and which ones will thrive

Waste in Africa

PET’s latest successes and a call to action

Green Building

Why certification rating tools work in the built environment

Carbon Tax

What every business needs to know about July 2019

Future Tech

22

Sustainability and technology highlights from the Pioneer’s 18 Breaking Frontiers conference in Vienna, Austria

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Professor Turton points the way to the opportunity amid the crises

Water

www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

2018/08/28 3:30 PM

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For more information visit your nearest hardware or paint outlet, or log onto www.plascon.com Product range may vary in countries outside South Africa. Plascon Advisory Service: 0860 20 40 60 Copyright Š Kansai Plascon (Pty) Ltd

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Development

Sustainable Transport:

The Road To Inclusive Development In South Africa UNIDO at a glance The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations system which provides technical cooperation and support to assist our partner countries achieve ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID)’, through the introduction and promotion of international bestpractice methodologies and associated technologies. UNIDO advises on industrial policy, enhancing local production capacities, economic competitiveness and environmental responsibility. In South Africa, UNIDO is hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and covers a broad range of development projects, in partnership with national stakeholders, across the country through its regional office in Pretoria.

Energy-efficient, low-carbon transport In South Africa, UNIDO is presently implementing the Global Environment Facility (GEF funded ‘Low Carbon Transport Project South Africa (LCT SA Project)’ in partnership with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) and the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). The project is assisting the government to promote the widespread uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and Non-motorised Transport (NMT). The LCT SA Project was officially launched at the start of 2016 in Johannesburg at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

Since 2016, the LCT SA Project has enjoyed significant progress in promoting sustainable transport options in South Africa. For example, together with the with the City of Tshwane, two solar-powered EV charging points were installed, with the first being stationed at the Metro Police Station in Bosman Street and the second being installed at the mayor’s office. The Northwest Province partnered with UNIDO on their procurement of two zero-emission vehicles to begin the greening of their provincial fleet. In regard to NMT, the project partnered with the City of Johannesburg and the University of Johannesburg to provide support for NMT solutions through developing a student cycling scheme. The scheme under development links Sophiatown and Ellis Park in Johannesburg – along a “University Corridor” which includes three campuses of the University of Johannesburg (Kingsway, Bunting and Doornfontein) and the University of Witwatersrand.

Currently, the business modelling related to this cycling scheme is underway and is set to create business opportunities for small local entrepreneurs. The project is also partnering with the City of Durban and the City of Cape Town in order to identify and develop suitable NMT and EV solutions according to the needs assessments and readiness in those municipalities.

In the policy space, the LCT SA Project’s support is firmly aligned to national priorities, including research and analysis into the status quo

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Development

of South Africa’s regulatory environment and current policy impact on greening the transport sector. Similarly, a project-commissioned study is underway to analyse the macro-economic impact of the wide-scale introduction of electric vehicles on the South African economy. This latter study will assist national departments in crafting the most appropriate policy instruments for a clean transport transition within a South African context.

On related matters, the LCT SA Project also actively provides inputs into the South African Roads Policy and the current Transport Policy Framework as well as the Green Transport Strategy. The project actively assists the National Department of Transport in the development of a National Cycling Strategy for South Africa which links urban health with sustainable transport practices in cities. The Green Transport Programme under the lead of the dti is an equally important initiative, and is a key focal area for the LCT SA Project and its various partners within the UNIDO and SANEDI supported Electric Vehicle Industry Association (EVIA).

In addition, the project seeks to develop a regional aspect where it will share the lessons being developed in South Africa with the country’s neighbours. This process began at the recent SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) held in July in Windhoek, where the Government of Namibia has expressed a desire to investigate projects there. The ‘SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE)’ will play a key role with regional and international stakeholder in such initiatives going forwards. SACREEE was established under UNIDO support in partnership with regional and international stakeholders. After the Centre’s launch under the Namibian chairmanship of SADC, possibilities exist to engage SADC member states to develop regional strategies for clean mobility.

Industry 4.0 UNIDO’s focus on sustainable transport is one of a number of aspects under its wider Industry 4.0 approach. During the past two years, South African national stakeholders have consistently engaged UNIDO on the opportunities that the 4th wave of industrialization, or ‘Industry 4.0’ as it is termed, and what it offers South Africa in a local context. At the 2018 Sustainability Week, UNIDO joined a panel of local and international speakers on the topic, which encouraged the South African government to continue focusing its attention on the ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ in key sectors. This event built upon UNIDO’s panel at the ‘2018 Africa Energy Indaba’ in February 2018.

The outcomes of the ongoing discussions include leap-frogging opportunities for skills development in South Africa at TVET institutions and at Universities of Technology with a focus on problem-solving methods and innovation value chains in the energy, sustainable transport, water and waste sectors. www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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UNIDO is well positioned to support the South African government through the development of policy recommendations concerning national responses to the global fast rate of innovation by identifying opportunities for the so-called ‘first mover advantage’ in South Africa’s globally competitive sectors. Policy flexibility methods and crafting the necessary policy instruments for reversing levels of socio-economic inequality are areas where Industry 4.0, through Information Communication Technology (ICT), can minimise the adverse effects of the pace of digitising the global economy.

Platforms of knowledge sharing and project development coupled with data collection and data analysis tools to facilitate digital solutions applicable to South Africa’s economy and labour market could be established.

Through UNIDO’s ongoing programmes on industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean technology innovation including low-carbon transport, the potential for business development, re-skilling and up-skilling industrial practitioners across the sphere of manufacturing creates opportunities to incorporate Industry 4.0 technologies in production methods. On matters of technology transfer and related national and international standards, UNIDO works with its national partners and academic institutions to develop extensive networking benefits across the public and private sector and validate the benefits of digital technology dissemination in industry.

UNIDO recently conducted a ‘Global Future of Skills Survey’, covering questions on the Internet of Things, autonomous machines, vehicles and systems, virtual/augmented reality, human-machine integration, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and big data. Among the topics that survey respondents proposed were regulatory aspects related to Industry 4.0 and cyber security in industry. Based on the findings of the research, UNIDO is responding to national directives on how to support emerging and developing economies, including South Africa, with regards to skills development and the increased integration of digital methods in industrial and commercial practices.

UNIDO regards South Africa as one of its most important technical assistance partners, and it will continue to support the government to foster the transition to a more sustainable and competitive economy for the foreseeable future.

For further information on UNIDO please contact Mr Conrad Kassier T: 012 394 1066 E: C.KASSIER@unido.org

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News and Updates

WasteCon2018: Addressing long-term waste management solutions After the hype surrounding #plasticfreejuly and the ‘war on straws’ soars to new heights, the question is: How do we all take our waste-conscious attitude further in a truly sustainable way? “Ultimately, we should aim for zero waste ending up at a landfill, so the #plasticfree challenge really should continue throughout the year,” says Leon Grobbelaar, President of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA).

In October the IWMSA host their biennial flagship conference WasteCon2018, gathering key players involved in waste management from municipalities and government, the private sector, academics, engineers and waste pickers; all looking for ways to best tackle the waste management problem we collectively face. WasteCon2018 will take place from 15 to 19 October 2018 at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg.

Ad Lansink from the Netherlands will be speaking at WasteCon. He was recently named the winner of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Publication Award for his book Challenging Changes: Connecting Waste Hierarchy and Circular Economy.

WasteCon2018 is a platform for key role players in the industry to gather together and network. To register for WasteCon2018 visit www.wastecon.co.za.

For more information about the IWMSA visit www.iwmsa.co.za. You can also follow IWMSA on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iwmsa) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/IWMSA).

Fair Trade Tourism Publishes Captive Wildlife Guidelines Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) has published its Captive Wildlife Guidelines, which aim to assist the travel industry to make decisions about which captive wildlife facilities to support and which to avoid.

The Guidelines, which were developed after consultation with nearly 200 organisations and 40 publications, are based on five pillars – legal compliance, wildlife conservation, animal welfare, visitor safety and transparency. They discuss issues around specific wildlife species in captivity, such as elephants, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, dolphins and whales, ostriches, crocodiles, primates and birds, and include a questionnaire to help tour operators to assess captive wildlife facilities themselves.

FTT says global research conducted by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit indicates that up to four million tourists who visit captive wildlife attractions per year are contributing to animal welfare abuse and declines in species’ conservation, yet 80% of them are unaware of their negative impacts.

Contact shona@fairtade.travel to obtain a copy.

Global GreenTag Certified Flooring

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Leading the way in luxury vinyl flooring, Cape Town-based Evalution Flooring, is the first company in South Africa to have achieved Global GreenTag certification on three ranges of their innovative vinyl tiles.

al and residential aics. The GreenTag and light commercial ng. The diverse e and abstract looks.

ICO SPACIA Acoustic al buildings. The es which offer a g the 1mm Acoustic mpact reduction of

For over a decade, Evalution Flooring has serviced the corporate, commercial and residential markets, building on its reputation of delivering quality tiles, vinyl and mosaics. The GreenTag certified AMTICO FIRST wood-look luxury vinyl tiles are suitable for residential and light commercial use. They have a 0.3mm wear layer and offer a great alternative to wooden flooring. The diverse AMTICO FIRST range is available in 54 different designs ranging from wood, stone and abstract looks. The GreenTag certified AMTICO SPACIA and AMTICO SPACIA Acoustic vinyl tiles have a 0.55mm wear layer and are suitable for residential, light commercial and heavy commercial buildings. The range also includes 104 various wood, concrete, abstract and stone-look luxury vinyl tiles which offer a modern alternative to more conventional porcelain and ceramics. By adding the 1mm Acoustic backing to the SPACIA range, this vinyl offers comfort underfoot and sound impact reduction of up to 18dB which is the perfect alternative to carpets.

Source: Evalution Flooring

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CSIR Bioplastic Technology A bioplastic technology developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been recognised for making a positive contribution to the reduction of environmental pollution.

The Eco-Logic Awards 2018 placed the CSIR’s bioplastic technology in the spotlight. The awards identify individuals, organisations and communities that positively contribute towards a sustainable world.

The CSIR technology won the silver award in the Eco-Innovation Award category for a new, innovative product or service that is financially viable and sustainable, and that serves the needs of humans while being equally beneficial to the earth and eco-systems.

One of the key features that made this technology a winner is that the bioplastic products are 100% biodegradable and compostable when they end up in natural environments such as landfill, compost and marine water, without any toxic residues. A further attribute of the bioplastic is that it is made from 100% renewable resources, which consists of agro waste by-products and a biopolymer.

Additionally the CSIR bioplastic technology displays good mechanical properties that are similar to those of the conventional non-biodegradable polyethylene films and it can be processed using existing industrial equipment.

For more information contact: David Mandaha, CSIR Media Manager E-mail: dmandaha@csir.co.za

www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

2018/08/31 10:53 AM

News and Updates

Affordable On-site Water Treatment Local wastewater treatment firm, SewTreat, announced the launch of the SewTreat Build-Own-Operate model. This model makes the installation and operation of an on-site wastewater treatment solution more affordable for businesses of any size.

SewTreat is now offering long-term, full-service Build-Own-Operate (B-O-O) contracts, a cost-effective way for businesses, property developments, hotels, mines, abattoirs, schools and industrial operations to benefit from SewTreat’s water recycling and treatment technology. Under the B-O-O model, SewTreat handles the

complete manufacturing, construction and installation of a treatment plant at no cost, after which repayments are made for the plant over a 10-year period at a predetermined rate for every 1000L used.

To cut water costs and ensure a fixed, reliable quota and supply, SewTreat offers both biological and mechanical water treatment systems to re-use and recycle effluent from nearly any source. This includes rivers, boreholes/wells, lakes, oceans, waste and industrial processes.

SewTreat’s plants treat water from these sources to produce water for boiler feed,

semi-conductor manufacture, food process, drinking purposes, industrial processes and other applications.

Oxigen Communications - Nicola Weir nicola@oxigencomms.com www.sewtreat.co.za.

Vergelegen Project Uncovers Rich Biodiversity A pioneering alien vegetation clearing project at Vergelegen wine estate in Somerset West has revealed a natural treasure of indigenous vegetation.

Some 15 hectares of critically endangered Lourensford Alluvium Fynbos and 105 hectares of critically endangered Swartland Shale Renosterveld have been uncovered to date on the farm. The International Union for Conservation of Nature categorises this vegetation as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Vergelegen project is believed to be the largest private conservation programme in South Africa. It was initiated by estate owners Anglo American after a wildfire about two decades ago, and should be completed by the end of October this year. Only about 60 hectares of alien vegetation still need to be cleared, which will bring the total of restored vegetation to some 2200 hectares.

This huge project has created many opportunities for previously unemployed and unskilled people. All initial clearing is done by contract teams, with two teams of 35 and 40 people respectively employed. Workers are from local communities and they have been trained in skills such as chainsaw operation, herbicide application and first aid.

The project is also generating strong interest among researchers. Currently, a Stellenbosch University scientist is working on a PhD based on the characterisation of wetlands by their biodiversity structures and processes; and

another researcher from the same university is examining the advantages and disadvantages of the use of drones in landscape ecology, for an ecology conservation degree.

Vergelegen conducts monthly bird counts, identifies wild flowers and (using infra-red camera systems) monitors wildlife movement.

Species such as the Cape leopard, caracal, grey rhebok and spotted genet are regularly viewed on the footage.

On the estate the number of bird species has soared from 80 to at least 142, and at least 500 different plant species have been recorded.

Source: Meropa Communications on behalf of Vergelegen Estate

South Africa’s Smart Cities Are Driving Sustainability Green spaces are popular. Rooftop gardens are springing up in central business districts in the likes of Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rotterdam and New York. Likewise, urban farming initiatives to boost food resources are fast becoming a global trend. In South Africa, Johannesburg has long been considered the world’s largest man-made urban forest, boasting more than 6 million trees. And Cape Town’s CBD is set to change with the arrival of its first environmentally-friendly mixed-use development: Harbour Arch. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most eyecatching features of this 5.8-hectare mixed-use precinct will be the complex’s green rooftop towering over the city’s harbour.

With the rise of “smart cities” - mixed-use precincts - developers are driven to find ways to create green spaces innovatively in a bid to bring nature to the concrete jungle. Nicholas Stopforth, Managing Director of Amdec Property Developments - the group behind South Africa’s award-winning Melrose Arch and the new Harbour Arch - says green spaces are essential for people to feel safe and secure in an environment.

Source: Nicole Chamberlin, Newsroom Director, Irvine Partners www.irvinepartners.co.za www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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IRP ANNOUNCEMENT

Finally Released: Draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018

By Staff Writer

The draft updated Integrated Resource Plan 2018 was finally released to the public yesterday after several years of uncertainty in the energy industry. The IRP’s aim is to establish policy for the energy industry in order to balance a number of objectives, namely to ensure security of supply, as well as minimise cost of electricity, negative environmental impact (emissions) and water usage.

T

he last version was drafted in 2010 and was never adopted

by Cabinet. It was criticised for having deviated from a least-cost generation mix by imposing artificial limits on the amount of variable renewable energy that could be introduced.

No new nuclear or coal to be procured up to 2030 The most anticipated news to be received in the wake of the state capture debacle is the role of nuclear, and there is a collective sigh of relief that that the IRP does not envisage any procurement of new nuclear or new coal up to 2030. The 2010 version had anticipated that 9 600 MW of new nuclear capacity would be installed by 2030.

New, sober estimate for future electricity growth One of the key elements of the report is the major recalculation of the projection for demand for energy. The 2010 IRP was based on a forecast of growth assumptions that have not lived up to expectations. The 2018 IRP reflects a more sobering electricity demand growth of 1.8% by 2030 and 1.4% by 2050. The timeline for the 2010 IRP extended to 2050, while the new timeline has been trimmed to 2030.

Further highlights are the allocations of 200 MW a year for certain categories of ‘generation-for-own-use’ of between 1 MW to 10 MW, starting in 2018. These allocations will not be discounted off the capacity allocations in the plan, but will be considered during the issuing of ministerial determinations.

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RE industry receives new IRP with some uncertainty The renewable energy industry has received the IRP with an element of uncertainty. While the good news states that additional capacity up until 2030 will be made up of 1 000 MW from coal, 2 500 MW from hydro, 5 670 MW from solar PV, 8 100 MW from wind and 8 100 MW from gas, there are also statements that leave room for concern, such as: “The committed Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme, including the 27 signed projects and Eskom capacity rollout ending with the last unit of Kusile in 2022, will provide more than sufficient capacity to cover the projected demand and decommissioning of plants up to approximately 2025”.

The South African Wind Energy Association have commented that they will seek clarity from government regarding the procurement gap, as well as clarification on the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

The renewable energy industry is still reeling from the threeyear-long battle to reach financial close on the projects awarded under Bid Window 4 of the REIPPP programme, as well as the recent cancellation of the Expedited Bid Window, and would like to see government make firm commitments in the short term to boost investor confidence in the sector.

Energy minister Jeff Radebe has extended the comment period from 30 days to 60 days, starting from 27 August 2018.

www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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Economy

Circular Solutions

By Melissa Baird

A webinar that discussed the results of the adoption of the EU’s Circular Economy Package in December 2015, revealed that more than half of the initiatives included in the Action Plan have been delivered. This piqued my curiosity and I decided to go to the third Circular Change conference held in Maribor, Slovenia to find out for myself just how circular thinking is being transformed into action and what that could mean for South Africa.

S

pearheaded by Ladeja Godina Košir, Circular Economy Connector and Managing Director of Circular Change, the gathering of municipal managers, representatives of the European parliament and The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was held in the picturesque and historically significant town of Maribor in Slovenia. Maribor is known for its oldest vine, was once the cultural capital of Europe, has archaeological proof of one of the first musical instruments and today its residents are led by leaders who are actively creating circular solutions for their waste and industry to future-proof their locality.

As much as 80% of the public utilities follow the principles of the circular economy (CE) which makes Maribor a leader in the CE in Europe. Other countries that are moving fast to change their linear practices are Holland, Finland, France and Italy. The action is mostly being driven by the municipalities that have in their jurisdiction waste and water management as well as many manufacturing hubs.

Ladeja is very much a leader and inspirational guide with a mission to assist in a successful transition to the circular economy in the Adriatic region’ – informing, educating and connecting regional circular frontrunners. She has been nominated as one of six finalists for the Circular Leaders award by the WEF and is one of the co-authors of the Circular Economy Roadmap for Slovenia

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that outlines the new business models available for adoption. Her key recommendation for transition is for there to be collaborative engagement with governance and business to open the doors for change. The holistic perspective is more conducive to understanding what would help a business to remain on the market.

To be clear: the CE is not about a recycling economy. It is about the whole value chain; understanding the impacts of human action and designing products that do not have negative impacts but give back to the whole cycle. The negative response focuses on how much creating a new system will cost, but how can this compare to the cost of the planet reaching its limits, with the current population officially in debt to future generations?

As Janez Potocnik – co-chair of the UNEP International Resource Panel – mentioned in his presentation, 15 000 scientists from 184 countries have signed the second warning notice to humanity but very few industrialists are paying any attention to these notices. The price signals in this consumptive economy are not reflecting the true cost of environmental impacts; financial services as a result are over- valued and environmental resources continually undervalued with too much focus on impacts, and not the driver of those impacts which is human activity.

According to the Circularity Gap Report only 9.1% of the world’s economy is circular, which means there is massive gap www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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ECONOMY

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Economy and opportunity to change how the system works. For example, the current climate change model focuses on supply chains and carbon management of energy but does not address the impacts of increasing demand. Water and energy and land use are all linked, and resources need to be decoupled from the balance sheet so that they stand alone. Even the bio-based economy must take in to account circular economy principles. The urban environment too must adopt circular principles if it is to be able to offer 70% of the world’s population a stable environment in which to live.

Despite the adaptive actions of municipalities in Europe, the consensus is legislation is out of date and there is an urgent need for natural resource management to be put at the top of the agenda. Developing countries must be made aware of the circular opportunities, so that in their development models, natural resources are not so easily monetised before understanding the long-term implications of their eventual loss and the potential that exists to create a new economic model that benefits society and the environment.

The business sector needs to align business principles with the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and managing the risks to society. Concepts that drive restoration, regeneration and redefinition should be the frameworks that drive growth – not growth at any cost.

Achieving Growth and Business Model Innovation through Circular Economy Implementation” is the result of a research effort that included a survey of 78 managers from different industries across the globe and one-on-one interviews with leaders to understand best practices on how leading companies are making the circular economy come to life. There is a staggering USD 4.5 trillion that could be released from circular innovation. Sectors like fashion, aviation, plastics and technology are going to have to look at what to do with their waste and design solutions that produce no waste and require no virgin materials for production.

With proof of economic success, it will create the guide for developing nations to literally leapfrog the linear model which is about extraction, consumption and waste and redefine this model to be one of repair and modular upgrades for re-use and re-purposing.

Think of a cell phone: you could replace the battery, not the phone, and update the software without having to get a whole new device.

In Africa, Alex Lemille, Circular Economy Activator and founder of Wizeimpact received the “Highly Commended” recognition by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for his work that focuses on redefining or adapting corporate business models to assist the actors of this new economy focus on value creation instead of the limited search for self-wealth creation. He is championing the circular approach in South Africa, and holds events and think tanks to encourage

Plastic is the product archetype of a linear economic system and its production is set to double in the next twenty years. Currently the plastic waste problem is out of control, with reports of ocean pollution showing just how critical the situation is to marine life and the ecosystem of the sea. Seventy-eight million tons of plastic is produced every year and only 2% of this is recycled, with the balance ending up back in the environment resulting in numerous negative impacts.

As was stated by Jocelyn Bleriot, Executive Officer of the Ellen MacArthur foundation, “We will not recycle our way out of this mess.

You can’t have a circular plug in a linear model.” The problem is that the current economy is built on a consumptive and extractive model. Inherent in this system are the agendas of industrialists and politicians which have not included much philanthropy or long-term environmental thinking.

A consultancy firm, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have united to offer practical guidance for organisations wanting to transition to the circular economy. Their report ‘The New Big Circle:

understanding of the model, as well as spur innovations through a multi-stakeholder process. Lemille said that if we want a circular economy, we “need to understand the wider societal impacts and the needs that people have on this planet”. In Africa, a key to adoption will be to address the needs of the people before going into material circularity. The African Circular network is engaging with the work and is an NPO registered in SA. The network is active in ten countries with the intention of becoming an Africa-wide network. The youth represent 25% of the population and jobs need to be created; Lemille believes the circular economy is the best way to generate these jobs because they can offer different tiers for employment in both skilled and unskilled labour.

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Further reading www.wizeimpact.com/ www.circularity-gap-report www.circle-economy.com www.circularchange.com/speakers-presentations/ www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

2018/08/28 3:31 PM

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021 557 0599 GEJ 31.indd 13

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DIGITILISATION

Running With The

Machine:

SA to lose 5.7 MILLION JOBS IF NOT DIGITALLY READY IN 7 YEARS

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www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

2018/08/28 3:31 PM

DIGITILISATION

With 35% of all jobs in South Africa currently at risk of total digital automation, the country could see a crippling effect compounded by a fragile economy and growing unemployment. Dr Roze Phillips, Post Graduate Diploma in Futures Studies alumnus from the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and Managing Director for Accenture Consulting in Africa, shares her view that the country needs to act now to ensure that humans and machines can work together in the future.

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n the pursuit of higher productivity at lower cost, jobs have for many years been shed, and with the increased threat of automation, South Africa is less prepared than other countries to manage the impact and needs to give its workforce skills to participate in the digital economy.

However, our research shows that if South Africa can double the pace at which its workforce acquires skills relevant for humanmachine collaboration, it can reduce the number of jobs at risk from 3.5 million (20%) in 2025 to just 2.5 million.

In recent times, many manufacturing and standard business process intensive jobs were outsourced to countries where labour was cheaper. Those jobs rarely made it back to home soil but at least outsource recipient countries benefitted from the employment opportunities created there. Today, the same phenomenon occurs.

But now, the search for labour arbitrage is no longer between physical geographies; today, jobs are lost to the digital world and will, probably, never be done by humans again.

In a country like South Africa where poverty remains, rates of unemployment are high and social security is questionable, it’s vital for the country to upskill its people to collaborate with machines to enhance their own productivity.

Machines do not consume things and whilst they can replace human work, they do not drive purchasing behaviour or contribute to GDP. Society will regress if humans can’t work, earn and spend.

South Africa needs to learn how to ‘run with machines’.

Which jobs in South Africa are the most at risk?

Accenture researched various job categories drawn from Stats SA to gain insight into human-like (analytical, leadership, social intelligence, creative) and machine-like activities (routine work, transactions, manual labour) considering the type of work, skills and tasks, the recent skills evolution in jobs, degree of work automation, work supply demographics and productive structure.

The results clearly show that both white- and blue-collar jobs are at risk. The more predictable and repetitive the activities that make up the tasks, the more likely it is to be replicated by machines or automated, which puts workers involved in occupations such as production, office administration, tellers, cashiers, farming, food preparation, accounting, auditing, insurance claims and policing processing clerks, construction, mining, transportation, installation and maintenance are at highest risk.

The safest jobs are those that allocate more time to humanlike activities such as influencing and advising people, teaching, programming, real-time discussions, negotiating and cooperating with co-workers. www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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The opportunity Digital technology will usher in a new economic era, exposing new sources of value and growth, increasing efficiency and driving competitiveness. For South Africa to rise to the challenge the country needs to recalibrate its economy and its workforce for digital, creating entirely new products, services and markets. And the time to do that is now.

Critical skills to learn In the digital economy, work will no longer be restricted to one employer, job or team. People will need to constantly learn new skills to remain relevant.

Learn to earn Foundation skills are critical – literacy, numeracy and digital literacy as well as basic employability skills such as conduct and work protocols (time management, listening, and negotiation)

Build tech know how The ability to use digital devices and share data, working effectively alongside machine intelligence, understanding how technology and data are built, manipulated and applied.

Apply WeQ Social and relationship building will gain greater importance with teamwork, collaboration, communication, social and emotional intelligence and the ability to manage others as key drivers.

Create and solve Problem solving will require thinking unconventionally, gathering ideas from diverse sources, and applying design thinking, critical thinking, reason and logic to assess and analyse problems, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Cultivate a growth mindset The foundation blocks for personal resilience and ability to cope with and adapt to change will require skills such as the ability to cultivate curiosity, openness, a growth mindset and the capacity of lifelong learning, underpinned by cognitive functions such as flexibility.

Specialise for work Specialised work skills will no longer be static or fixed in the digital economy and will need to continuously change based on context, industry, market demand and type of work.

For more information, contact Accenture

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1803984_E_FP

Recycle plastic bottles. They are turned into new bottles.

Plastic cool drink and water bottles are made from PET, a recyclable material that is far too sophisticated to just throw away. It can be turned into a variety of new products

is formally known as ‘closing the loop’ and it is critical to a sustainable future for South Africa and the world.

and, most importantly, new bottles that are then reused by millions of South Africans.

allows us to rely considerably less on expensive imported virgin PET fibre, instead we empower local entrepreneurs and industry. And that means only good things for SA’s GDP.

When we make new bottles from recycled PET it benefits both our country’s economy as well as the environment.

The process whereby bottles are recycled back into bottles

This kind of circular economy

While recycling PET plastic has extensive economic and employment benefits, the use of recycled PET plastic in the

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manufacture of new bottles is undoubtedly invaluable for our environment.

better for our environment than a mountain of rubbish.

Plastic bottles are not trash.

Do 1 thing. Recycle.

Last year, through PETCO’s efforts, we were able to divert over 2 billion bottles from landfill where they would have piled up, useless.

Once you’ve used your PET plastic bottle, its potential is absolutely enormous. Recycle it and it will contribute to our country’s growth, improve the lives of tens upon thousands of people and be substantially

Find us on Social Media:

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Recycling

Africa’s Pollution Crisis

By Janine Basson

As the second most polluted continent, Africa must take both the responsibility and opportunity to pioneer world-leading waste management methods to avoid an environmental and socio-economic disaster.

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his was the message from environmental scientist Dr Tony Ribbink, who addressed the annual general meeting of PETCO. Ribbink, chief executive officer of the Sustainable Seas Trust and a former director of the World Bank GEF project on Lake Malawi/Nyasa for Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania believes that while there is a certain amount of gloom and doom surrounding the pollution problem, a lot of good is also being done.

“As the second most polluted continent, Africa is in clear danger of taking top spot unless responsibility for the crisis is shouldered at all levels” he said. But Africa is also pioneering new methods and activities to counter plastic pollution.

“Industry is also becoming more committed to sustainability and finding solutions where previously there appeared to be none.”

South African bottlers, who are voluntary members of PETCO, are increasingly assisting with the drive to improve recycling rates.

Annual PET plastic bottle recycling increased to 65% of all bottles produced in the country in 2017 – up from 55% in 2016, according to recently released figures.

This equates to 2.15 billion bottles recycled in 2017, which created 64 000 income-generating opportunities for recyclers and waste collectors while also freeing up 578 000m3 of dwindling landfill space.

PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz said these figures put South African PET recycling on par with global standards and that the organisation had set an ambitious recycling target of 70% by 2020.

Even more significant, said Scholtz, was that approximately 96% of all PET bottles recovered in South Africa were reprocessed locally into new end-use products.

“South Africa no longer imports polyester staple fibre, which is a synthetic fibre made from PET plastic and used in the manufacture of clothing and other items. This fibre is now even being exported, bringing valuable foreign earnings into the country,” she said.

One thing that is very clear is that plastic is not trash and that recycling unlocks its secondary economic value. However a key bit of information is missing with regard to plastic pollution, and that is the lack of real measurable data to get an accurate picture of one of the world’s greatest threats.

He noted the example of Port Elizabeth, which is blazing a trail in the fight against plastic pollution. “If it continues in this vein, it could be the cleanest city in South Africa by 2021”, he said. The city is under scrutiny as a South African plastic pollution case study, with drones and planes being used to capture representative data.

People are being mobilised in a number of ways including using mobile apps to monitor on the ground where the major pollution problems are, not just on beaches and estuaries but also where people, live, work and play.

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So strong is this movement that a R60-million plastic waste scientific research and community empowerment initiative will see the establishment of the first of its kind Africa Waste Academy in the city within the next five years.

Above: Belinda Booker (PETCO), Bridget Vilakazi (TSHAD) and Calvin Stemela (Director: Tembisa Self-Help Association for the Disabled, or TSHAD) and Cheri Scholtz (PETCO). TSHAD won the 2018 award for Recycling Partnership Gamechanger.

WHAT IS PET AND RPET?

P

olyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the type of plastic commonly used to make beverage bottles for carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, juice, sports and energy drinks; jars, punnets, tubs and trays for food items; bottles for household cleaning, personal care and pharmaceutical products; and sheet and film for packaging.

PET bottles are made of one of the few polymers that can be recycled into the same form – a new beverage bottle – again and again. This closes the recycling loop and enables ‘cradle-to-cradle’ packaging solutions.

As with virgin PET, recycled PET (rPET) can be used to make many new products, including polyester staple fibre or filament used for apparel (clothing), home textiles (duvets, pillows, carpeting), automotive parts (carpets, sound insulation, boot linings, seat covers), industrial end-use items (geotextiles and roof insulation) and new PET packaging and bottles for both food and non-food products. It is generally blended in a ratio of virgin to recycled, depending on the application required.

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GREEN BUILDING

Regenerative

Buildings On The Rise

In 2007, the green building movement was officially started in South Africa, with the express intention of joining the dots between sustainable development and the building and construction sector. Today there are almost 400 buildings certified that have implemented energy, resource and environmental efficiencies throughout the design, construction and operational phases. As the number of buildings to be certified keeps growing and the people working in them are healthier, the case for building green has never been stronger.

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he green built environment positively impacts environmental and social transformation and the buildings offer higher returns on investment gained through reduced operational costs and lower vacancy rates. The MSCI and GBCSA’s joint green index shows that the return on investment for certified buildings is 11.6% vs 8% for that of non-green buildings and outperform them in every area of benefit, and the fact that the number of global green buildings continues to double every three years proves the advantages are too valuable to ignore, especially in tough economic times.

The role of certification Remember when attempts to be ‘green’ were met with skepticism and dispute? The role of certification has come a long way in providing the benchmark for how a building is designed and built to ensure all stakeholders adhere to the standards that are set,

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and the rating tools used to assess and recognise buildings which meet the criteria. All professionals on the project are provided with a detailed set of standards for energy, water, materials, indoor environment quality, transport, emissions, ecology and innovation for consideration, and once the project design, construction or operational performance is documented and ready for submission, it is then assessed – independently by GBCSA accredited assessors.

There is a range of rating tools that are used and can be applied to the planning and design, construction, operation and maintenance, and renovation phases of a green building. They also differ depending on the type of buildings they are applied to, with specific tools or subsets of tools for homes, commercial buildings and even whole neighbourhoods.

The GBCSA is a member of the WorldGBC global network, which expects member rating tool’s development and implementation to be robust, transparent and to a best practice standard. In South Africa www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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GREEN BUILDING an independent and anonymous third party certification process has been implemented, based to a large extent on the ISO standard for certification bodies.

However, even before the standards are released to the industry, the GBCSA has a very robust level of governance and approval for which a board delegates oversight to a technical steering committee, as well as an industry-based stakeholder engagement group of about 25 professionals who are engaged throughout the development of a new green building standard.

Checks and balances Development projects use Accredited Professionals (AP) trained and accredited by the GBCSA to assist the project teams in the process.

APs are often built-environment professionals and they are expected to conduct their work with integrity and honesty and are liable to lose their accredited status if there is evidence of any falsified documents or non-disclosure in a submission to the GBCSA. Further to that the organisation then appoints independent sector-based professionals, trained in certification standards, to confidentially review the submission and deliver a detailed review which means there is an assessor and moderator, to ensure that the assessment is independent, thorough and double-checked.

Some leading international Green Building Councils have relaxed the distance created between assessors and projects, to allow projects to engage directly with assessors for more direct feedback loops, but the GBCSA has maintained the distance to retain the third-party independence of the assessment process. This was felt to be still appropriate in the South African context where corruption is quite evident in many sectors. Despite this robust process, 99% of projects achieve their certification due to the active involvement of the AP, the technical support by the GBCSA, and the clear guidelines set out for project teams.

www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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Bringing out the green stars in your team A knock-on effect of achieving a green building certification is that those involved often then become champions of the process and the impact, encouraging their teams to keep pushing the boundaries on sustainability. They assist the sustainable development sector by maintaining the demand for sustainable projects and products, and so set standards that then in turn elevate the ambition of government building codes and regulation, workforce training, and corporate strategies.

Responding to this demand, and the heightened urgency of the sustainable development sector’s view to protect and nurture the environment, the GBCSA’s Net Zero certification requires buildings to have zero carbon, water, waste or ecology impact on their environment which can be sought as independent ratings. While logical, this is a giant leap from the construction sector’s status quo of emitting a third of global warming gasses, and using half the resources and available energy.

And, beyond the closed-loop of carbon-neutral building projects are those that are regenerative, and add capacity and increase the ecosystem that people rely on. The Net Zero and Net Positive certification tool for carbon, water, waste and ecology is part of this and pulls the industry towards the ultimate objective: to have a restorative impact rather than just doing less bad.

For more information on GBCSA rating tools: https://gbcsa.org.za/ certify/ Explore Net Zero at the Green Building Convention from 3-5 October: https://gbcsaconvention.org.za/ Contact the GBCSA: info@gbcsa.org.za

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2018/08/28 3:31 PM

CARBON TAX

Counting The Cost Of

Carbon South Africa closed its 2017 calendar year with the publication of the second Draft Carbon Tax Bill for public comment. This and other signals indicate that this time round the implementation of the carbon tax is unlikely to be postponed any further and that business will have to pay up by 1 July 2019. What are the reasons behind this and does it offer any hope for emission reductions in South Africa?

F

ollowing ratification of the Paris Agreement, South Africa is among the many countries that have realised that carbon pricing is a means to aid achieving its national greenhouse gas emission reductions targets. These targets are captured in South Africa’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution which the country submitted to the international community in September 2015. This was well ahead of the Climate COP in Paris 2015 where the Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 countries.

The objective of this first-ever universal, legally binding, global climate deal was to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C when compared to the pre-industrial era.

It is encouraging to see that initiatives to reduce and manage the emissions that contribute to the warming of our planet are not limited to governmental policies only: investors are moving away from the fossil fuel industry to turn their investment assets into clean energy. Increasingly, businesses and companies require that their entire supply chain can demonstrate sound climate change risk management strategies, including measures to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. The aviation industry has pledged carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards and the shipping industry is expected to follow suit.

Discussions about the domestic carbon tax in South Africa have been ongoing for nearly a decade with little clarity as to what it will mean – and cost. Implementation dates have been announced – and shifted – often and, as a result, it is not surprising that affected businesses are demonstrating a laissez-faire attitude after the second Draft Carbon Tax Bill was published for public comment in December 2017. However, the proposed tax regulations could have a severe impact on an organisation’s bottom-line.

Following ratification of the Paris Agreement in November 2016, the year 2017 was marked by the first regulations directly targeting emissions of greenhouse gases. In April 2017 the National Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Requirements were launched; this was followed by the Declaration of Greenhouse Gases as

By Silvana Claassen

Priority Air Pollutants and the National Pollution Prevention Plans Regulations that were both promulgated in July. These regulations are providing for an infrastructure enabling administration of the carbon tax payable by carbon tax liable companies and as said were preceding the publication of the second draft bill.

In the meantime, the draft bill has passed through the parliamentary process and two rounds of public hearings have been finalised. Arguments against the Carbon Tax were not much different then from those that have been fuelling the debate since the discussion started, including that a carbon tax will negatively impact economic growth.

The counter argument to this is that the carbon tax is an effective tool with the potential to contribute to reaching a national emission reductions target; 13% to 14.5% by 2025 and 26% to 33% by 2035.

During his Budget Speech in February 2018, the then Minister of Finance announced that the carbon tax will be implemented from 1 January 2019. The fact that the Department of Environmental Affairs published a draft climate change bill for public comment in June 2018, is another indication that the government is taking emission reductions seriously and will not hesitate to put into place measures that will encourage the kingpins of the South African economy to transition to low-emission activities.

Currently we await the draft tax bill to be enacted. Considering that everything is in place for Carbon Tax to become law, affected businesses are recommended to establish their carbon footprints and calculate their tax-liability in accordance. This will provide insight on where emission reductions can be achieved and how other measures such as offsetting can help reduce costs. Impacts of the carbon tax are not limited to the so-called big-polluters only: companies should carefully look at their supplychain to see how the tax could impact their suppliers and understand how this in turn can affect their production-costs.

For more information, please visit www.climateneutralgroup.co.za About the contributor: Silvana has extensive experience in providing government institutions, SMEs and major international corporations with strategic solutions that turn climate change related challenges into opportunities. Silvana holds a Master’s degree in Technology & Society at the University of Technology Eindhoven (Netherlands) and a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering.

www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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2018/08/28 3:31 PM

Technology

Breaking

Frontiers

A robot co-host called Pepper, the world’s leading minds discussing the future of Artificial Intelligence, a global, virtual up-close-and-personal tour of the world’s artistic and historic treasures, saltwater creating light, miraculous pain-relieving technology and ..crickets..served up in a planet-saving, food-secure protein bar…Melissa Baird reports on the highlights of the award winning high-tech start-up event, Pioneers 18 that took place in Vienna, Austria earlier this year.

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www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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Technology

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he event ran over two days in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, and brought together over 2 500 tech innovators, 550 start-ups and a host of top speakers to tackle key global issues and showcase high-impact innovation under the ‘Blurred Frontiers’ theme. Some of the world’s top international speakers were present, like Amazon’s CTO Werner Vögels and Google Arts & Culture Program Manager Suhair Kahn.

Humanizing Technologies, an innovative software company that specialises in humanoid robots and telepresence solutions and is at the forefront of bringing humans and technology closer together brought Pepper, the dancing, hugging robot to co-host the event much to the audience’s delight.

Dimitrios Prodroumou, the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of the company is Pepper’s ‘personality’ and responsible for programming the software that drives its responses and capabilities.

On the question of AI and its likely impact on humans he said that it is dangerous for robots to “think or learn from observation” so it is better to programme appropriate responses. I never believed I would be charmed by a robot, but it was impossible not to respond to its very human-like responses that include being shy and offering hugs.

Pepper robots are making their way across the world and some remarkable uses are being found for them, from elderly care in Japan, to the hospitality business where they are ‘employed’ in various hotels to greet guests and offer basic information. Pepper is also used for marketing purposes in supermarkets. As Dimitrios showed how Pepper responds there was a question posed to it: “What is the meaning of life?”. The answer: “I am a robot, not the oracle of Delphi.”

AI, of course, was a recurring theme, including the role it’s playing in automated translation technology. Hermann Hauser, a Partner at Amadeus Capital Partners and serial entrepreneur, provided an apt summary of the bigger picture around AI in his Intelligent Machines

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talk. “A new species is about to be born, and it’s called artificial intelligence,” he said. “And the biggest challenge for mankind over the next few decades is to agree on the right goals for it.”

The talk is to align the goals with that of the SDGs so that the new species has the ‘conscience’ to make decisions for the greater good.

Stephen Hawkins once said that the emergence of AI “could be the worst event in the history of our civilisation” unless best practice and effective management was put in place. The landscape is still too new to draw any conclusions but without doubt it is the biggest technological event in our current history.

Technology is also being used to solve some of the most pressing environmental and social problems facing the planet. Take for instance the use of toxic glues in the manufacturing of particle boards – the boards used in pre-packed furniture production.

Materialise X is changing that by inventing a 100% VOC particle board which will redefine the production line forever.

Sustainable Alternative Lighting, SALt – is lighting up communities by using salt water lamps in rural Philippines, and is an inspiring example of social innovation, where human needs are satisfied by the simplest of solutions that are easily made part of daily life. It works using metal-air battery technology. The electrode is placed in a solution of salt water to produce light. With 1.2 billion people worldwide without electricity, this is a game changer in bringing safe, cost-effective light to those who live in the dark.

Water from thin air? The drought-stricken countries could have cause to celebrate as Jonathan Risley CEO and co-founder of Thin-Air Water presented his water-from-air technology. He said 844 million people lack access to clean water, and as we who live in South Africa are only too aware, this impacts social stability and health. Could this be changed by accessing water out of the atmosphere? Their technology combines a novel surface structure developed from

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Technology

biomimicry principles that mimic a Namib desert beetle’s shell, combined with chemistry and can produce thousands of litres of water per day at a vastly reduced cost than other technologies and with no environmental impact.

There was another insect that grabbed my my attention – but this time not in the form of inspiration, but in terms of food. Cue Daniel Vach who originates from Prague and has the largest cricket farm in Thailand that is producing high protein flour made from crickets. His SENS foods produce cricket protein bars that are already in many shops and gyms around Europe. As Daniel explained: “By 2050, we need to double our production of food. There is a shortage of protein and farming more cattle or catching more fish is not a solution. Even now, we simply overstretch our natural resources. That cannot last long. We need to look into alternative sources of protein, or there will not be enough food to feed everyone.” It is not the lack of science or technology that is holding true change back but the fact that people are not connecting the ‘dots’ in agriculture and food supply. Could the cricket be that dot? The United Nations is already promoting eating insects as a solution to the coming food crisis (insects are already eaten regularly by 2 billion people all over the world). The figures add up; to produce the same amount of protein, crickets require 12x less feed, 2000x less water and produce 100x less greenhouse gases than cattle. The whole cricket farming industry is at its beginning, and SENS bars taste great, are highly nutritious and an example of insect-based food products that can’t be overlooked.

I enthusiastically discussed this food source with the CEO of the Bayer Foundations, Thimo Valentin Schmitt-Lord who is searching the world for mass-produced solutions to end hunger. I said to him I have tasted the future of food. Lab-grown meat may be a part of it, but to think that conventional animal production can do the job of feeding the 7 billion and growing population based on water usage, deforestation and GHG emissions requires adjustment given the

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planet’s current environmental crises. He said one “has to act like an activist, think like a scientist and apply technology to solve the problems of humanity. We need impact through technology and to find technology to help solve the global issues of food supply and production”.

Google Arts & Culture Program Manager Suhair Khan, took the audience on a virtual tour through some of the technologies she and her team are bringing to cultural institutions as they help make art accessible to a wider audience. Examples included the 3D digital preservation of temples just before they were recently destroyed by war, and exploring the Palace of Versailles’ interior using Google Street View. You can download the app and immediately gain access to the world’s most historic museums, view the works of the masters up close and explore the bounty of 65 natural history museums that are already participating in the endeavour to bring the richest possible experience and culture online to people worldwide. As Suhair said, “We are creating serendipity and immersive experiences”.

It is particularly remarkable for children who are in remote areas and will never be able to access these places. Now all they need is Google cardboard and they are whisked into another dimension of experience.

Another speaker embodying the Blurred Frontiers theme was futurist Jonathan Knowles. “When we look around the world, it’s almost all plastic,” added Knowles. “The good news is a lot more people are thinking about it, and that’s another big opportunity for all entrepreneurs - how do we deal with all the plastic?”

On the healthcare front was SzeleSTIM’s Auristim wearable earpiece, which the company is preparing for CEE regulation towards the end of the year. The earpiece is designed to deliver customizable chronic pain treatment, via a steady rhythm of electrical pulses designed to stimulate the pain-critical vagus nerve.

SzeleSTIM beat off 50 top-notch challengers to emerge as the winner of the coveted Pioneers Challenge Award at Pioneers’18.

They’ve won a networking trip. They’ve won a networking trip to Silicon Valley, as well as a trip to South East Asia to pitch at the Techsauce Global Summit. “I think we’re addressing a real problem here,” said Stefan Kampusch, co-founder of SzeleSTIM as he reflected on the reasons they struck a chord with the jury. “Everybody has had pain; everybody knows somebody who has had pain or even chronic pain. Everybody has a relation to this topic and knows it is very severe.” This was proof that tech, when done for human good can solve human problems and offer relief to millions of people around the world.

Watch the Pioneer’s video here: https://pioneers.io/blog/post/video-pioneers18-highlights www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

2018/08/28 3:31 PM

Partner Announcement

The GIB:

Allowed to Continue Fighting for Water, Alleviating Poverty The Gamtoos Irrigation Board (GIB) is a Licensed Irrigation Board, based in the town of Patensie on the fringe of the Baviaanskloof in the Eastern Cape. Since 1991, the GIB has been involved in water provision and management, the management of irrigation quotas, water conservation and demand management. The Board also manages and monitors infrastructure, dams, floods and ecosystems, and has construction and civil engineering capacity.

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he GIB was instituted in accordance with the National Water Act, and has a contract with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to operate the Gamtoos water scheme on its behalf and for the account of GIB.

Department of Environmental Affairs renews GIB contract The GIB has been in charge of the ‘Working for Natural Resource Management’ programme across the Eastern Cape, and the Department of Environmental Affairs has recently renewed this contract. Over the next three years, the GIB will continue to manage working for water, wetlands, forestry, ecosystems and waterweeds projects.

Many of these projects involve clearing non-indigenous vegetation, which will allow more run-off to the Eastern Cape’s dams and thus alleviate some of the pressure on water resources caused by the crippling drought.

2 000 jobs sustained per year The contract will sustain 2 000 jobs a year throughout the Eastern Cape, which reflects the broader goals of the GIB. “It is vitally important for us to be involved in poverty alleviation, while at the same time improving flow of water into the dams,” said GIB CEO Pierre Joubert.

More than 300 small, medium-sized and microenterprises each year are employed to assist with the project’s implementation.

Joubert confirmed that employing an average of 11 employees a team creates a positive economic impact for at least 3 000 additional beneficiaries and their households.

More funding needed to clear more land Although GIB contractors have cleared 547 697 ha of alien invasive plants over the last five years, more clearing is needed. The board is seeking public-private partnerships and investment from private landowners to supplement existing funding from the contract, in order to upscale the project and have a greater impact. The National www.alive2green.com/publications/green-economy-journal/

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Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act requires landowners to keep their land free from alien invasive plants, which should help to motivate their involvement.

“Should more [private] land owners come to the party to contribute to these costs, we would be able to clear more land, faster,” said GIB financial and human resources manager Rienette Colesky.

About the GIB’s projects Working for Water projects involve removing invasive alien plants, particularly from water catchment areas.

• Working for Ecosystems projects focus on the restoration of degraded spekboom-rich land and sequestering carbon by planting spekboom truncheons.

• Working for Forestry projects focus on invasive alien plant treatment in selected commercial forestry plantations, and attention is given to the riparian zone areas between the commercial forest compartments. They also work to restore indigenous forest patches.

• Working for Wetlands projects aim to rehabilitate wetland areas, prevent further degradation and raise the water table to sustain wetlands in river systems.

• Waterweeds projects focus on removing invasive alien water weeds.

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Water MANAGEMENT

https://slideplayer.com/slide/12318878/

Water Supply: Converting Crisis Into Opportunity

By Garyn Rapson, Partner at Webber Wentzel

South Africa’s water supply is predicted to reach a crisis point by 2030. But could better management of this critical resource be the economic saviour of the country? Dr Anthony Turton, Professor in the Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, believes so.

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Water MANAGEMENT

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t a recent When the Wells Run Dry seminar, hosted by Webber Wentzel in Sandton, Turton explained that South Africa’s population growth and the increased draw on the country’s water supplies will see the country needing 1.6 times the amount of water than will naturally be available by 2030. But, rather than looking at the uphill battle to secure our water future, Turton stressed that ensuring an adequate supply of water, together with new infrastructure and upgrading of existing infrastructure, could present untold opportunities for the country in terms of innovation, investment and job creation.

Realistically, however, innovation in the water space is unlikely to come from government, so the charge is going to have to be led by the private sector. Make no mistake, there is nothing philanthropic about business investing into large-scale water projects, rather it may become a strategic imperative if business wishes to continue operating effectively in this country.

A case study that business should be looking to as the potential future of water in South Africa is the eMalahleni Recycling Water Project, on the outskirts of Witbank in Mpumalanga. In 2007 Anglo American made a R300 million investment into a state-of-the-art, world-first, mine acid drainage recycling plant. This plant, which processes 30 million cubic meters of mine drainage per day (to be upgraded to 50 million cubic meters soon), not only ensures that participating mines are self-sufficient in terms of their water supply, but also sees them supplying drinking water to the local municipality.

In addition, one of the bi-products of the recycling process – gypsum - has been used to build housing for mine workers and their families.

The success of this project has been heralded globally and, at grass roots level, it has not only proved invaluable to Anglo American’s Mpumalanga coal mine operations but is also giving the mine a healthy return on investment. What beggars belief, however, that such a progressive and innovative project - which was commissioned over a decade ago - has never been replicated. Why? One reason may be around financing. But given the enormity of the country’s impending water crisis, business is simply going to have to make the investment, be it alone or via private equity avenues. Encouragingly, there is an appetite for this type of project.

Marc Immerman, Principal at Metier Sustainable Capital Fund, told

the seminar that although they are not involved in the research and development side of things, the financer is more than willing to help companies secure finance and they are willing to invest in innovative water projects.

Catherine-Candice Koffman, Head of Infrastructure and Telecommunications Project Finance for Nedbank also stressed that South Africa’s banks are looking for developmental opportunities; joking that if Immerman was prepared to invest, then so would Nedbank.

Another reason for the slow uptake in projects is the amount of government bureaucracy. For business to proceed with these types of projects requires an in-depth understanding of national, provincial and local law surrounding water, and the ability to navigate all these respective departments. Garyn Rapson, a partner at Webber Wentzel, observed: “Regulation around water and the supply of water is very complicated, and it is very intricate in terms of the approvals needed to set up these types of projects. You are going to need a suite of environmental approvals, water services consents and municipal approvals.” The arduous process of getting all the legal and municipal clearances can take up to 18 months for environmental impact studies and longer for municipal buy-in. A well-versed legal team is your biggest asset in the process.

While navigating laws is one thing, the opinion is that government must address the overly complex regulation of South Africa’s water ecosystem. The enormity of the potential water crisis in 2030 means government and the private sector need to collaborate – just as the energy sector had to - to ensure the efficient supply of water.

Turton believes the type of projects South Africa needs to focus on includes upgrades to all the country’s water treatment plants, building desalination plants at all major coastal cities in South Africa, as well as creating effective and efficient sewage and wastewater recycling solutions.

The bottom line is if South Africa wants a water-secure future, then all stakeholders must collectively take responsibility; beginning with the home owner who installs rain water tanks and grey water systems and extends to businesses innovating around sustainable water supply options for their operations. Large-scale public-private partnerships will play a vital role in the future of water in South Africa.

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The enormity of the potential water crisis in 2030 means government and the private sector need to collaborate – just as the energy sector had to - to ensure the efficient supply of water.

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