Our sustainability strategy is based on strengthening Safripol’s resilience and institutional capacity to mitigate and adapt against present and future potential climate change-related risks and opportunities. We are continuously reviewing our climate risk assessments, to ensure that climate change risks and opportunities are identified and fully integrated into our business planning and strategies.
To support our environmental targets we are focusing on four priority areas.
Decarbonising energy sources
Our decarbonisation pathway for 2028 is based on transitioning towards low-carbon energy by implementing multiple photovoltaic (PV) solar energy power plants, both ground and roof mounted, as well as other renewable or low-carbon energy solutions for both our Sasolburg and Durban facilities.
Improving resource efficiency
We aim to optimise our resource usage, and reduce consumption wherever possible, while reusing and recycling precious resources. Our focus is on energy efficiency improvements, including implementing the most effective technology where possible to optimise production and reduce our carbon footprint. We recycle our used process water for reuse at our Sasolburg facility and are implementing water recovery solutions for our Durban plant. We support the circular economy of plastics through our rPET products and waste collection initiatives. We implemented a S@S programme for waste at our sites and our post-industrial waste is sold to industry for processing into new products.
Climate change adaptation
Safripol keeps abreast of the latest developments in terms of South Africa’s climate change response plans and strategies through industry representation in the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group of the DFFE. We are integrating climate change risks into our business plans to proactively manage climate change adaptation considerations and action plans. Natural disasters, such as flooding, poses potential risk for our Durban facilities due to its geographical location to a coastal region. Droughts could also affect water security for our Sasolburg site. We are developing a water security strategy to secure water supply to our facilities, thereby ensuring business continuity. This includes increasing the treatment of effluent water and recycling it back into our plants for use in the cooling towers and optimising our cooling towers to reduce water loss.
Renewable feedstocks
We aim to reduce our fossil fuel feedstock, with a medium-term to long-term focus to transition a portion of our feedstock base from fossil fuel monomers to mechanical recycled polymers. Our goal is to scale up and grow our recycled polymer portfolio which will enable us to increase our use of renewable feedstocks and reduce our overall emissions and dependency on fossil raw materials. We are investigating PET depolymerisation technologies with technology partners to convert PCR back into monomers. Additionally, we are evaluating the viability of these technologies for our local feedstock.
FAQs
Q1: What are the four priority areas Safripol focuses on to support its environmental targets?
A1: To support its environmental targets, Safripol focuses on four priority areas: Decarbonising energy sources, Improving resource efficiency, Climate change adaptation, and Renewable feedstocks.
Q2: What specific climate risks do Safripol’s Durban and Sasolburg facilities face?
A2: Flooding poses a potential risk for the Durban facilities due to their geographical location to a coastal region. Droughts could affect water security for the Sasolburg site.
Q3: What key initiatives fall under improving resource efficiency?
A3: This area includes implementing the most effective technology to optimise production, recycling used process water for reuse at Sasolburg, implementing water recovery solutions for Durban, supporting the circular economy of plastics through rPET products and waste collection, and selling post-industrial waste for processing into new products.
Q4: What is Safripol’s strategy for securing water supply and ensuring business continuity?
A4: Safripol is developing a water security strategy that includes increasing the treatment of effluent water and recycling it back into plants for use in cooling towers, and optimising cooling towers to reduce water loss.
Q5: How is Safripol reducing its dependency on fossil raw materials in the long term?
A5: The medium-term to long-term focus is to transition a portion of the feedstock base from fossil fuel monomers to mechanical recycled polymers. Safripol is also investigating PET depolymerisation technologies with technology partners to convert PCR back into monomers.
Safripol’s Climate Resilience: See How Our Core Values Drive Action. Download the Sustainability Report