sassda news
SA Stainless Sector Supports Circular Push
Sassda recently attended the latest South African Circular Manufacturing Initiative (SACMI) stakeholder engagement, reinforcing its mandate as the voice of stainless steel and its role in representing the interests of the entire South African value chain.
From Decline to Opportunity The meeting marked a significant step in aligning the stainless steel sector with national efforts to formalise and accelerate circular manufacturing. Sassda says many of its members have already embraced circular economy principles, not out of policy, but out of necessity. Sassda Executive Director Michel Basson comments, “Our industry has been applying circular principles for years, not always by design, but by economic imperative. We optimise material, reduce waste, and prioritise recyclability because our margins depend on it.” This aligns closely with SACMI, a flagship programme under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). SACMI is engaging stakeholders across the country to shape a national circular economy strategy that will define the next decade of industrial development. Spearheaded by the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA), SACMI aims to embed circular economy principles deeply into South Africa’s industrial base by leveraging science, technology and innovation (STI). Grounded in the 2019 STI White Paper and aligned with the 2022–2032 STI Decadal Plan, the initiative is setting the course for a cleaner, more efficient and globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem. At the heart of this process is a series of focused stakeholder sessions, surfacing the practical challenges, knowledge gaps and innovation opportunities faced by industry. These inputs will inform the final SACMI Strategy Report and help direct future investments and policies. Existing Practices, Unrecognised Progress While many stakeholders still see circular economy adoption as a future goal, the stainless steel sector has quietly led in several areas. From material optimisation and alloy separation to energy efficiency and advanced
manufacturing, the industry has built up practices that now align closely with SACMI’s four strategic pillars: Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production, Circular Product Design, Advanced Manufacturing, and Remanufacturing. Basson points out that fabricators already adopt meticulous nesting techniques to reduce waste, leverage high-precision NC laser and plasma cutters to cut down on labour time, and separate alloy-specific scrap to maximise recycling value. These aren’t just sustainability efforts; they’re key to commercial survival. Stainless steel itself is also playing a pivotal role in this shift. Given that it’s 100% recyclable and currently recycled at rates exceeding 96%, it naturally fits into circular manufacturing models. In addition, nearly 80% of primary stainless steel materials used by mills in South Africa originate from recycled stainless or carbon steel, a statistic that places the sector well ahead of global standards for material circularity. “Our sector didn’t wait for circular economy frameworks to start operating more sustainably,” says Basson. “That said, formalising and accelerating these efforts through SACMI will help us extract more value and help other sectors follow suit.” Four Pillars for Industrial Modernisation The SACMI strategy outlines four STI priority areas that will guide its implementation over the next 5 to 10 years: • Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production - Encouraging reduced raw material input, energy, and water use while maximising productivity and minimising waste. • Circular Product Design - Integrating circularity at the earliest stages of product development to enable easier reuse, repair, or recycling.
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Issue 4 – 2025
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