A new six-part documentary series aims to highlight the role of industry and waste-sector participants in advancing South Africa’s circular economy, and follows recovered materials through the value chain, from product design and waste separation to recycling and enterprise development, highlights Cape Town-based sustainability communications agency The Sustainability Communication Company.

Titled ‘Stepping into the Circular Economy’, the series is produced by the Sustainability Communication Company (Susco), in partnership with producer responsibility organisation the EPR Waste Association of South Africa (eWASA) and combines industry perspectives with the practical experiences of people involved in recovering and processing waste materials.

“The series follows waste material through the full value chain and aims to show the work of the people who drive each stage of the circular economy,” says Susco director Chris Bischoff.

The first episode examines the role of product design in improving recyclability, separation of waste at source and extended producer responsibility (EPR).

Subsequent episodes will feature waste reclaimers, buyback centres, small-scale recyclers, entrepreneurs, waste management companies and government departments involved in the waste value chain.

eWASA circular economy specialist Lerato Mphahlele says the series aims to demonstrate the value of waste by showing how materials move through the value chain.

“The circular economy is easy to talk about and sometimes hard to picture. A strong visual story that follows the materials through the value chain will help shift the perspective towards waste – as something that holds value,” she says.

The first episode, available on Susco’s YouTube channel, also highlights three areas that influence the effectiveness of the circular economy – designing products for recyclability, separating waste at source to prevent contamination, and implementing EPR to support waste collection, recycling and enterprise development.

“Producer responsibility only works when every part of the chain is visible and connected.

“This series shows that connection. It follows producer responsibilities through to the recyclers and enterprises that turn recovered material into something with value,” Mphahlele says.

She concludes that improving landfill diversion and returning more materials to the economy will require greater consideration of product design, investment in waste-separation infrastructure and accelerated adoption of EPR.