Low-Carbon Manufacturing

The document outlines the economic necessity for South Africa to transition toward low-carbon manufacturing, identifying specific opportunities in renewable energy, transport, agriprocessing, water, and the circular economy. It emphasizes the need for policy clarity, local procurement, and a 'just transition' that protects workers and informal waste pickers.

• South African manufacturing has declined by approximately 7% over the last decade, hindered by utility costs, monopolistic pricing, exchange rate volatility, and poor inter-departmental coordination.
• South Africa's exports are highly susceptible to global shifts toward low-carbon economies because the country has an exceptionally high level of embedded carbon in its exports, with about 29% of its emissions being exported.
• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REI4P) presents significant localisation potential, with an estimated 1,500 jobs possible from 27 new projects involving solar PV modules, inverters, transformers, wind towers, and turbines.
• The introduction of energy cropping for biofuels production in South Africa, specifically compliant biojet fuel using perennial feedstocks, could create between 50,000 and 100,000 person-years of employment.
• The construction sector can reduce its carbon footprint by adopting eco-blend cements that use waste products like fly ash and slag, though this requires revisions to cement standards and waste legislation.
• A 'just transition' in the waste sector must explicitly incorporate informal waste workers and waste pickers to prevent them from being marginalized by the formalisation of economic opportunities.

APA

Naudé, L., & Rivett-Carnac, K. (2018). Low-Carbon Manufacturing. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-2b-Low-Carbon-Manufacturing-Policy.pdf

Chicago

Naudé, Louise, and Kate Rivett-Carnac. Low-Carbon Manufacturing. Institute for Economic Justice, 2018. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-2b-Low-Carbon-Manufacturing-Policy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Naudé |first1=Louise |last2=Rivett-Carnac |first2=Kate |title=Low-Carbon Manufacturing |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=August 2018 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-2b-Low-Carbon-Manufacturing-Policy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naud2018lowcarbon, author = {Naudé, Louise and Rivett-Carnac, Kate}, title = {{Low-Carbon Manufacturing}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-2b-Low-Carbon-Manufacturing-Policy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }