Creating opportunity from the need for sustainability

In today's world of conscious capitalism and consumers who want to do business with companies who care, sustainability can no longer be put on the backburner. Investopedia provides a succinct definition of sustainability, explaining that the idea is built on three pillars: profits, planet and people. In a nutshell, sustainability is about meeting the present needs of a company and its shareholders while remembering the future needs of generations to follow. While big corporates around the world are coming around to sustainable ways of thinking, some pioneering entrepreneurs are finding their niche in new industries that would never have been thought of before the era of sustainability concerns. 

Bags made the sustainable way

Leather, plastic and other unsustainable materials have traditionally played a big role in the manufacturing of handbags and luggage, and all these elements take their toll on the environment. To Reabetswe Ngwane, this presented not a challenge but an opportunity. Her journey started with recycling plastic bags and transforming them into school bags for underprivileged children. From there, she began investigating what other materials were viable for reuse, and after consulting with people who earn a living recycling scrap, she came up with the idea of recycling tyre tubes and using the material to make a range of trendy bags which look remarkably as though they are made from leather. The textiles that she has created are also used in the mining and construction industries, creating products such as respiratory masks and seat protectors for miners. Ngwane's company, Atyre, continues to grow from strength to strength - the sustainable way.

Reimagining plastic and tackling pollution

If you were to have a look at the bags, planters and organisers made by Plasticity, you'd find it hard to believe that they are made from upcycled plastic. For Tessa O'Halloran, founding her company Plasticity was a way of preventing plastic waste from making its way to a landfill by upcycling it into something beautiful. Her inspiration can be summed up in the biological meaning of the word "plasticity", which is "the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment". By adapting plastic into new formats, O'Halloran has launched a business that has sustainability as its very heartbeat. The Plasticity product range is set to expand into furniture, so watch this space to see what O'Halloran and her team bring to the world of sustainability next.

From waste metal to eye-catching furniture

The opportunities created by the relatively new sustainability industry extend far beyond South Africa's borders. Namibia's Paulina Alfeus has launched a business called Power Six Investment, which uses recycled oil drums and other scrap metal to manufacture steel furniture. From couches to coffee tables, bright colours and comfortable finishes are what it's about, as can be seen on the company's Facebook page. Having previously been unemployed, Alfeus has built a business that creates jobs as well as one-of-a-kind furniture with an African ambience. Looking ahead, the sky's the limit for Power Six Investment, and Alfeus and her team plan to extend their retail operations internationally if the market permits. As Lioness of Africa commented, it takes a "special kind of entrepreneur" to see beauty where everyone else sees waste, and this is the core of this type of sustainability.

Every company, from an international conglomerate to a simple start-up has one thing in common: in order to establish a business that can take sustainability seriously, they need the right premises to call home. 3Cube Property Solutions has an array of commercial and industrial properties for sale and to rent in Gauteng. Contact us today.