Home / Events / SA’s circular economy is no longer optional, it is our next economic frontier First published 10/6/2026, 2:12:15 PM · Last updated 10/6/2026, 2:12:15 PM
SA’s circular economy is no longer optional, it is our next economic frontier The article argues that South Africa should adopt a circular economy, citing climate change, rising resource costs, unemployment and pressure on municipal waste systems. It mentions the government’s Extended Producer Responsibility regulations as part of the transition.
Illustrative image: Industries are working to minimize their reliance on petrochemicals and petroleum-based industrial components and replace them with biobased, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternatives due to the global warming emergency caused by the uncontrolled production of greenhouse gases. The agricultural waste provides large volumes of lignocellulosic biomass, a sustainable resource material to develop a wide portfolio of bioproducts. Recent developments in integrated biorefineries have enhan — Mujtaba, Muhammad; Fernandes Fraceto, Leonardo; Fazeli, Mahyar; Mukherjee, Sritama; Savassa, Susilaine Maira; Araujo de Medeiros, Gerson; do Espírito Santo Pereira, Anderson; Mancini, Sandro Donnini et al./Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 4.0 Categories: economy-and-trade, environment-and-climate, politics-and-governance
Generated scores Scores are based on the cited reporting and use a 1–10 scale. Read the methodology .
Confidence 5/10How certain the assessment is based on the clarity and evidence in the cited reporting.
Geographic reach 4/10How widely the event reaches, from a local area (1) to worldwide impact (10).
Global importance 3/10The event's broader significance, from limited importance (1) to major global importance (10).
Impact magnitude 3/10The scale or severity of the real-world impact, from minor (1) to extreme (10).
Positivity 5/10How harmful or beneficial the event is, from strongly harmful (1) to strongly positive (10).
Urgency 1/10How time-sensitive the event is, from low urgency (1) to immediate attention needed (10). Why it matters It presents circularity as an economic and environmental policy direction for South Africa.
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