As the industry gears up for Global Recycling Day on 18 March,
Nampak Liquid Cartons (NLC) donated 50 upcycled desks to Actonville Primary School in
collaboration with upcycling company, Infinite Industries. The first 20 desks were delivered on 16
March 2023 during a handover ceremony at the Benoni-based school.
“This Global Recycling Day, we wanted to find an initiative that spoke to our goal of being a
sustainable packaging supplier while also raising awareness about the importance of recycling,” says
Terry van der Walt, Marketing Manager of Nampak Paper and Plastic. “Working with Infinite
Industries allowed us to drive this message home not only for ourselves but for the learners of
Actonville Primary School.”
Manufactured by Infinite Industries, 80% of the material used to make the desks is poly-aluminum
from used liquid cartons and aluminum barrier toothpaste tubes. Each desktop has been made from
reconstituted liquid cartons before it’s attached to a steel frame.
“It is still a widely held belief that liquid cartons cannot be recycled and it’s a perception we are
trying to change at Infinite Industries by working with organisations like Nampak Liquid Cartons,”
says Maggie Bozic Infante, co-founder of Infinite Industries. “It’s initiatives like these that help to
drive home the message that materials traditionally thought of as non-recyclable can be upcycled
into new materials, and we can prevent this waste from entering our landfills.”
For over five years, Infinite Industries has been working with waste materials such as liquid cartons
and converting them into a variety of recycled products. One such item is the recycled boards which
are manufactured using a combination of heat and compaction, and are turned into everything from
recycled school desks and benches to roofing sheets and beehives.
“The desks are going to be a welcome addition to our classrooms and a reminder that we all need to
do our bit when it comes to recycling,” says Herman Seanego, Principal of Actonville Primary School.
“Today was also a great opportunity to learn about how recycling goes beyond paper, glass or cans,
and I hope it’s a lesson our learners will carry with them always.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Nampak Liquid Cartons, a division of Nampak Limited, manufactures the unique Conipak carton as
well as a wide range of Pure-Pak® cartons, under licence from Elopak of Norway.
The cartons are
100% recyclable, renewable and offer a sustainable alternative to other packaging, such as plastic.
Nampak Liquid Cartons picked up two Gold Medals at the 2020 Institute of Packaging South Africa’s
Gold Pack Awards for its development of the SPAR two-litre Pure-Pak® milk carton in the Best in
Beverages: Non-Alcoholic Packaging category, as well as in the Best in Paper Packaging category.
The
division also won a Silver Medal at the 2022 Awards for its development of the SEAM Pure-Pak®
Coffee Carton. Clients are largely beverage producers, particularly in the dairy, fruit juice and
sorghum beer market. The cartons are now also being used to package water, as well as coffee
beans.
