thumbnail_download (3).png

download (3).png

This collection is part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. 

This is a result of the collaboration with the <a href="https://www.acen.africa" target="_blank">African Circular Economy Network (ACEN)</a>, as part of the programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa. Footprints Africa's vision is that businesses can be a force for good at scale. Their mission is to advance sustainable, scalable and inclusive approaches to development of local African economies. Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, such as those inspired by the circular economy, to address the challenges of growth and create jobs. 

This open-source dataset features well over 500 cases and 200 examples of policies and laws and intent to collect inspiring examples of initiatives from across Africa, in order to inform the global dialogue, which is largely focused on the European and American context. 

To learn more about Africa's initiatives and content to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, visit https://www.footprintsafrica.co/



thumbnail_download.jpg

download.jpg

Footprints Africa

large_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

medium_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

small_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

thumbnail_photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

photo-1507576566681-1932a6a38099-1920w.webp

Business case

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Producing building materials and providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

Producing building materials and finished and semi-finished building products for construction

Construction Materials and Products

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Utilise bio-based, reusable, non-toxic and non-critical materials

Regenerative materials

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

 Please enable JavaScript to use this site. 

USE-IT has constructed a waste beneficiation centre in Hammarsdale in the Outer West region of Durban.  This extremely exciting project is a first for the African continent and we are proud to be a key part of this project.  Funding for the centre has been secured from the Green Fund.​We produced a fully green building development, using our Compressed Earth Blocks as the main building material of the waste beneficiation centre.  Other green elements for the project included full rain-water harvesting, storm-water collection systems, energy efficient hot water systems, LED lighting and off-grid, green power production using waste materials.​In the first phase, the centre has offices, a meeting area, a training area and a retail area to showcase and sell the products to be manufactured at the site.  It will also include 10 incubators to accommodate community-type projects in waste beneficiation, waste to art and up-cycling production areas.  ​The main processing areas focuses on plastics, e-waste and glass, and this will grow over time to create designated areas for each of these projects.  We also aim to initiate composting facilities on the site, which we can then use to create organic farming applications on the lower portion of the site that will not only look to vegetable production and food security, but also to value-add applications such as traditional medicines and essential oils.  All water harvested that is not used in the administrative section can be used in the lower portion of the site for composting and watering of organically grown products.​The aim of this site is not for USE-IT to undertake all the components, but rather to attract community and private-sector ventures into the area.

  We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center. Help Center 

South Africa

Africa

Durban

thumbnail_blob

blob

Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, address the challenges of growth and create jobs, using supply chains as a tool for development. 

medium_blob

small_blob

The vision of the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) is to build a restorative African economy that generates well-being and prosperity inclusive of all its people through new forms of economic production and consumption which maintain and regenerate its environmental resources.

African Circular Economy Network

RamBrick converts waste soil and rubble from landfill into building products with a reduced carbon footprint.

USE-IT’s Rambricks

<p>RamBrick converts waste soil and rubble from landfill into building products with a reduced carbon footprint.</p>