Dear Stakeholders,

The global landscape of sustainability is evolving at a rapid pace. What once was seen through a purely technical lens—focused on compliance, risk management and isolated technical solutions—has now shifted towards a more integrated, commercially driven approach. Over recent years, this shift has resulted in significant changes in global sustainability frameworks, particularly in how sustainability targets are set. Where the emphasis was once on ambitious but often unrealistic goals, there is now a stronger focus on setting achievable, measurable targets that reflect the true challenges and opportunities across industries, business operations and society at large. Sustainability is now firmly recognised as a driver of business innovation, industry competitiveness and long-term growth. Reflecting on our journey over the past year, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made. I am excited to share some of our key achievements, which highlight Safripol’s continued commitment to sustainability and the value it brings to our operations, communities and the environment.

Safripol’s strategic commitment to sustainability

At Safripol, sustainability is a strategic objective for our business that has gained momentum over the past four years. Our three core sustainability pillars, i.e. i) contributing to the circular economy; ii) reducing our environmental impact; and iii) creating positive social change—have seen notable growth, supported by targeted investments, tangible progress and meaningful collaborations.

Expanding sustainability into consumer consciousness

Our “Let’s Plastic Responsibly” (LPR) campaign is a prime example of how Safripol has evolved its approach to sustainability communication. What began as an educational initiative to help consumers understand the value of plastic has evolved into a broader message about responsible plastic use across the value chain, recycling and celebrating sustainable behaviours. This shift demystifies sustainability and fosters a more proactive and responsible consumer mindset. Our annual sustainability conference is also gaining impetus, serving as a powerful platform to bring plastic sustainability into the broader community, promoting dialogue and fostering collaboration.

Small wins for FY 2024

In FY 2024, we achieved a number of milestones that we are exceptionally proud of. These accomplishments reflect the tangible impact of our initiatives.

• Plant upgrade: We committed significant capital investment to complete the upgrade of our high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant to incorporate the most effective technology available. We are proud that no major incidents were recorded in our occupational health and safety indicators, and that we realised significant improvements in energy efficiencies.
• Renewable energy: We successfully generated 12% of our energy needs from renewable solar power. We will continue to explore further renewable energy solutions, which will allow us to reduce our carbon-intensive energy source, cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions even further and ensure energy security for the business going into the future.
• GHG reduction: We exceeded our first GHG emission reduction target that we set for ourselves, removing 28 000 tonnes CO2e from our facilities. From this, ~80% was due to beneficial operation of our critical capital projects which allowed us to reduce our energy consumption from the grid.
• ASPIRE15: We expanded our sale volumes of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) to over 13 000 tonnes using post-consumer recyclate (PCR) as raw materials, keeping these out of the environment and giving it a second life to be used for bottle-to-bottle packaging.
• Schools recycling programme: Our schools recycling programme, in partnership with local communities, reached 100 schools, inspiring youth to become active citizens while further contributing to the reduction of plastic waste in the environment.
• Job creation: We created over 200 new jobs through the support of small businesses in the local economy.

Moving from strategy to culture

Looking ahead, our next goal is to integrate sustainability into our organisational culture. True transformation occurs when sustainability becomes more than just a strategy—it becomes a core value in every employee’s mindset and day-to-day actions. This is where lasting change happens.

Thank you for your interest in our sustainability journey. We look forward to fostering meaningful collaborations in the year ahead.

“I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made. I am excited to share some of our key achievements, which highlight Safripol’s continued commitment to sustainability and the value it brings to our operations, communities and the environment.”

Nico Van Niekerk, Safripol, Chief Executive Officer