PLASTIC BANS AND PHASE-OUTS

This report by WWF South Africa assesses the socio-economic and environmental impacts of banning and phasing out 10 high-risk plastic products in South Africa. Using a dynamic input-output model, the study compares a business-as-usual baseline against two scenarios: an immediate ban of four products by 2025 and a phased withdrawal of six products by 2030. The findings suggest that while plastic production jobs would decrease, overall GDP and employment would expand, and significant costs associated with environmental externalities would be saved.

• The study identifies 10 high-risk plastic products for restriction: four for immediate banning (2024–2025)—plastic stirrers, straws, oxo-degradable additives, and microbeads in personal care products—and six for phasing out (2025–2030)—barrier bags, lollipop sticks, polystyrene fast-food containers, sachets for takeout food, single-use plastic tableware, and cotton buds with plastic stems.
• Both the ban and phase-out scenarios are projected to result in positive economic growth compared to the baseline. Real GDP is expected to increase by approximately 0.52% under the ban scenario and 2.97% under the phase-out scenario by 2030.
• Implementing the bans and phase-outs would lead to significant savings in the costs of externalities. The projected total cost of maintaining a business-as-usual scenario until 2030 is R47.8 billion, whereas the ban and phase-out scenarios would result in cost savings of R1.5 billion and R2.5 billion, respectively.
• Employment is expected to increase overall across all scenarios, though specific losses are anticipated in the plastic production sector. The phase-out scenario shows a more substantial employment expansion, with a projected 5.24% increase compared to the 3.24% baseline growth.
• The impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is complex; while emissions in the primary plastic sector would decrease, they would increase in sectors with higher economic activity, such as mining and manufacturing. This results in a modest net increase in overall GHG emissions: 0.37% for the ban scenario and 0.58% for the phase-out scenario.
• South Africa's plastic waste generation is significantly higher than the global average, with 41kg per person annually compared to 29kg. In 2020, the country generated 1,546 kilotonnes of plastic waste, of which only 22% of the collected waste was recycled.
• Plastic leakage in South Africa poses severe human health risks, particularly through the open burning of waste, which accounts for 56% of all plastic leakage. This process releases heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants like dioxins and PCBs, contributing to respiratory and other chronic diseases in marginalised communities.
• The report recommends eight key actions for South Africa to successfully transition to a circular plastics economy: targeted workforce development, incentivising environmentally sound product choices, consumer education, strengthening public-private partnerships, investing in R&D, creating a chemical management framework, multi-stakeholder engagement, and international collaboration.

APA

Rossouw, R., Gihring, K., Pettersson, K. C., & Kasner, S.-A. (2023). PLASTIC BANS AND PHASE-OUTS. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/web-wwf-plastic-phase-out-report.pdf

Chicago

Rossouw, Riaan, Katharina Gihring, Kiera Crowe Pettersson, and Sally-Anne Kasner. PLASTIC BANS AND PHASE-OUTS. WWF South Africa, 2023. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/web-wwf-plastic-phase-out-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rossouw |first1=Riaan |last2=Gihring |first2=Katharina |last3=Pettersson |first3=Kiera Crowe |last4=Kasner |first4=Sally-Anne |title=PLASTIC BANS AND PHASE-OUTS |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2023 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/web-wwf-plastic-phase-out-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rossouw2023plastic, author = {Rossouw, Riaan and Gihring, Katharina and Pettersson, Kiera Crowe and Kasner, Sally-Anne}, title = {{PLASTIC BANS AND PHASE-OUTS}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2023}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/web-wwf-plastic-phase-out-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }