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The report details a showcase event hosted by GreenCape to connect South African brand owners and retailers with packaging manufacturers offering recyclable alternatives to problematic flexible plastics, specifically targeting polypropylene (PP) and multilayer multi-polymer packaging. While mono-material polyethylene alternatives are identified as viable, the report highlights significant barriers to adoption, including a lack of local demand to justify dedicated production lines, high costs of upgrading filling lines, and a need for operator training. These challenges hinder the progress toward the South African Plastics Pact's 2025 targets, including the goal for 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

The Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU), implemented by GreenCape, uses an adaptive co-design framework to provide energy services to unserviced communities. In Freedom Farm, a settlement of approximately 2,000 people in Cape Town, the ASDU identified a lack of formal electricity and high unemployment (close to 65%). Community co-design sessions revealed priorities including home-level electricity, connectivity, and safe cooking. Residents expressed a willingness to pay up to R100 per month for these services, with a goal of eventual system ownership.

The Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU), implemented by GreenCape, uses an adaptive co-design framework to provide energy services to unserviced communities. In Malawi Camp, Cape Town, a community of over 1,000 people with no formal electricity, residents identified home-level electricity, food storage (fridges), and area lighting for safety as their primary priorities. While residents expressed a willingness to pay between R50 and R100 per month for these services with the goal of eventual ownership, the document notes that the upcoming relocation of the community to a formal housing development on Symphony Way may decrease the business case for off-grid solutions.

A case study of an 80-hectare sugarcane cooperative in KwaZulu-Natal demonstrates that switching from tractor-mounted boom sprayers to precision drone spraying reduced total spraying costs by approximately 25% and chemical usage by 20–30%. The transition eliminated operational downtime after rainfall and reduced labour requirements from 10 man-days per hectare to 2 man-days. These efficiencies, combined with yield increases of 6–12.5 tonnes per hectare and a 2 percentage point increase in estimated recoverable crystal (ERC), resulted in a net financial benefit of approximately R8,400 per hectare per year, totaling R672,000 for the cooperative. The document notes that direct drone ownership, costing between R250,000 and R400,000, has an estimated payback period of 1–1.5 seasons, while shared-service models lower the entry barrier for smallholders.

The document explores the role of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae in converting organic waste into frass, a nutrient-rich excrement that serves as a bio-fertiliser. It argues that BSF frass can support regenerative horticulture by improving soil health and reducing the ecological impact of synthetic fertilisers. In South Africa, where fertiliser is heavily imported and food waste is significant, the brief identifies a potential market for frass production valued between R3.1 and R12.4 billion per year. However, growth is hindered by scaling challenges, low market awareness, and significant regulatory delays in product registration through the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development.

The document presents data on 600 companies in Cape Town's green sectors, highlighting that the majority are micro-enterprises and that the sector contributes R312 billion to the city's total GDP.

The document examines the necessity of post-investment technical support for green SMMEs in South Africa, noting that one-off investments are insufficient for scaling. Through a pilot project involving three circular economy SMMEs funded by the Anglo American Foundation and the Green Outcomes Fund, the study identifies recruitment of middle management, marketing, and R&D as primary growth barriers. Results from the six-month pilot include revenue increases between 10% and 114%, the creation of 735 direct and 818 indirect jobs, and improved access to new investors and customers. The report recommends extending project durations to at least one year and expanding funding to include cash flow and asset purchases.

GreenCape has issued an RFQ for the design of the brand identity and digital assets for 'PowerUp', a renewable energy skills platform under the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM). The project requires a logo, brand guidelines, and various digital and promotional materials to be delivered between November 2024 and January 2025.

The PowerUp Platform is a digital hub created to bridge the gap between industry requirements and the training provided by post-school education and training (PSET) institutions in South Africa's renewable energy sector. It aims to facilitate collaboration between industry leaders, PSET institutions, SETAs, and social compact partners to ensure the availability of skills necessary for industrialisation and a just transition. The platform focuses on six core objectives: communication, awareness, identifying competency gaps, funding facilitation, workplace training, and creating linkages for youth and transitioning workers. Unlike a static job portal, PowerUp is an active facilitation tool that uses matchmaking, workshops, and brokerage to drive tangible skills outcomes.

ACA Threads transitioned from using single-use virgin polypropylene spools to a buy-back and recycling system. By partnering with an injection moulder and social organisations, the company recovered 7 tons of material from landfills over five years, saving over R460,000 and generating income for disabled persons' organisations and local community projects.

The document details how the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) connected Enviroserv, a waste management company, with ComboTimber Structures, a pallet refurbisher. This collaboration shifted ComboTimber Structures' business model from manufacturing virgin wood pallets to using second-hand materials, resulting in 79 tonnes of wood diverted from landfills and the creation of three permanent jobs.

The document details the process and outcomes of the City of Cape Town's initial attempt to analyze its 10-year capital portfolio for climate resilience. It identifies eight key lessons, emphasizing the need for consolidated databases, a focus on climate-related shocks, and the development of project typologies. The analysis revealed significant under-tagging of resilience projects by project managers, particularly in the Human Settlements directorate, and highlights the importance of secondary resilience benefits from primary mandates. The report concludes with a roadmap to mature the resilience assessment process by 2025.

The document proposes a 'data and domain' approach to resilient urbanism, where measurable shared data and asset-based community participation intersect to drive inclusive public engagement. It details a methodology for community-led enumeration—collecting socio-economic and demographic data—and using that data to ground participatory co-design workshops. A case study of GreenCape's Alternative Service Delivery Unit (ASDU) in the Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp informal settlements in Cape Town demonstrates this process, resulting in the selection of a solar PV micro-utility solution tailored to the community's specific needs, affordability (maximum R150 monthly payment), and desire for portability.

This case study examines the role of electronic waste (e-waste) repair and redistribution in South Africa, focusing on The Appliance Bank as a model for integrating circular economy principles with social upliftment. It highlights how diverting e-waste from landfills through refurbishment can create jobs for unemployed men and provide affordable technology to low-income communities.

This Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by GreenCape seeks a service provider to develop a practical implementation plan for a "smart grid" in Cape Town. The goal is to transition the City of Cape Town's energy department to a service-centric energy model based on information communication technology (ICT) to address revenue challenges and improve energy resilience.

The 'Roadmap to 2025' establishes a collaborative framework for national government, businesses, and waste sectors in South Africa to eliminate problematic plastics and increase recycling rates. It defines four primary targets: eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging, ensuring 100% of packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, achieving a 70% effective recycling rate for plastic packaging, and reaching an average of 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging. The roadmap details key activities, such as developing 'design for recycling' guidance, implementing a mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, and integrating the informal waste sector into the formal economy.

This Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by GreenCape seeks a service provider to conduct community engagement, enumeration, and mobilisation in Nomzamo Agri Village, Ermelo, Mpumalanga. The project, funded by the Royal Danish Embassy of South Africa, aims to establish a service delivery mechanism to increase access to basic energy services for marginalised communities as part of a Just Transition in the green economy.

The South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) is one of 14 industry-specific masterplans led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) to develop an industrial plan for the renewable energy sector. The process involves a collaboration between government, industry, and labour to identify investment and job creation opportunities linked to the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The development is structured in two phases: a research and consultation phase using three policy scenarios to quantify market size, and a writing phase to prioritise actions and policy levers. Oversight is provided by an Executive Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, supported by an Industry Working Group and Industry Reference Groups.

UV Tooling CC, a parts manufacturer in Cape Town, installed a 150 kWp solar PV system and 290 kWh Li-ion battery storage to combat systemic loadshedding. The system provides 2.5 hours of protection per loadshedding event and utilizes peak shaving to reduce costs. This investment has resulted in a 47% reduction in monthly electricity bills and avoids over R1.2 million in annual diesel costs, with an expected payback period of 7.5 years.

The document argues that EVaaS—a bundled subscription model covering vehicles, charging infrastructure, and maintenance—can make electric vehicle (EV) adoption more attractive for South African fleet managers by removing high upfront capital costs. Using a theoretical case of 50 panel vans, it demonstrates that EVaaS is financially viable compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles if monthly subscriptions are priced at or below R16,000 per vehicle. It highlights a real-world application by Everlectric with Woolworths and DSV, noting significant operational cost reductions and CO2 savings, while identifying a lack of accurate residual value data from banks as a primary financial hurdle for EVaaS providers.