يعمل العلماء والمهندسون والباحثون في حرم جامعي مترامي الأطراف في بريتوريا، بجد في أكبر مجمع مختبري في جنوب أفريقيا وأفضله من حيث الموارد. وينحني هؤلاء العلماء أمام المجاهر، وينظرون في الصحون الزجاجية ويسجلون نتائج الاختبارات بدقة، ولديهم رؤية مشتركة تتمثل فيما يلي: تحسين نوعية الحياة لجميع مواطني جنوب أفريقيا، على نحو مستدام قدر الإمكان.

وعلى مدى ما يقرب من ثمانية عقود، قام مجلس البحوث العلمية والصناعية (CSIR) بتسخير بعض من ألمع العقول لتعزيز الابتكار في مجالات الزراعة والطاقة والمواد الكيميائية والرعاية الصحية والتصنيع والتعدين والدفاع.

وفي السنوات الأخيرة، طور مجلس البحوث العلمية والصناعية الرائد في أفريقيا أيضا سلسلة من الابتكارات لمعالجة التلوث بالمواد البلاستيكية، الذي يؤثر سلبا على البيئة.

وقال ثولاني دلاميني، الرئيس التنفيذي لمجلس البحوث العلمية والصناعي (CSIR) ، في مقابلة مع برنامج الأمم المتحدة للبيئة: ’’كل ما نقوم به كمجلس للبحوث يجب أن يساهم في تحسين نوعية حياة شعب جنوب إفريقيا‘‘. ’’هذا هو الاختبار الحقيقي لمعرفة ما إذا كنا نحدث تأثيرا حقا‘‘.

ونظرا لجهودها في تطوير وتطبيق حلول للتلوث بالمواد البلاستيكية، تم اختيار مجلس البحوث العلمية والصناعية (CSIR) للحصول على جائزة أبطال الأرض في فئة العلوم والابتكار لعام 2023، وهي واحدة من أسمى الجوائز التي تمنحها الأمم المتحدة في مجال البيئة.

وقالت إنغر أندرسن، المديرة التنفيذية لبرنامج الأمم المتحدة للبيئة: ’’إن الحلول القائمة على العلم والبيانات ضرورية لكي يكون العمل البيئي فعالا‘‘. ’’إن العمل المتميز الذي قام به مجلس البحوث العلمية والصناعية في جنوب أفريقيا يذكرنا بأن الابتكار أمر بالغ الأهمية إذا أردنا للبشرية صياغة مستقبل أكثر استدامة للناس والكوكب.

Innovation to improve lives 
Following the end of World War II, South Africa recognized that scientific research and innovation was needed to spur its economic recovery and industrial development. Thus, through an act of parliament, the country established CSIR in 1945.

Throughout its history, CSIR has played a vital role in providing rigorous evidence to inform decision making.

In 2022, it was the first to use Pathways , a software application developed by Pew Charitable Trusts and the University of Oxford to evaluate local strategies to reduce plastic pollution.

Its findings contributed to a report aimed at policymakers, which concluded that South Africa could reduce plastic pollution by 63 per cent by 2040 with interventions across the plastics value chain. Those include limiting the demand for plastic, using alternative materials and increasing waste-collection.

“There is no single solution to effectively address plastic pollution in the country,” said Dlamini. “It will require both upstream interventions – such as reducing demand and coming up with alternatives – as well as downstream interventions, such as improved waste collection, disposal and increasing recycling capability.”

Tackling plastic pollution 
Affordable, flexible and durable, plastic has transformed everyday life and brought about many benefits to society, including in health care, construction, packaging and energy.

However, plastic generates 1.8 billion tonnes of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions a year, 3.4 per cent of the global total. Less than 10 per cent of plastic ever produced has been recycled. The rest is buried, burned or leaks into the environment.

South Africa’s rising population and increased consumption means that, without urgent action, plastic pollution in the country is set to almost double to 865,000 tonnes in 2040 from 491,000 tonnes in 2020, according to CSIR data .

To help reduce that toll, CSIR has developed a compostable plastic. Outside experts say that for very specific applications in which plastic waste is hard or nearly impossible to collect, such as agricultural mulch films, biodegradable plastic may be a useful solution. Products made from CSIR’s plastic alternative can biodegrade within 180 days or, combined with organic waste, turn into compost within 90 days, leaving no toxic residues.

Not all “biodegradable” plastic is what it is purported to be, however.

Thanks to equipment provided by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Government of Japan, CSIR hosts the only laboratory in Africa with the capacity to test plastics that are promoted as biodegradable. Not only does this enhance transparency but the process can also identify any problematic types of new material.

The council has also created the #SolvePlasticsAfrica Hub, an open-source online platform that can help foster solutions, knowledge-sharing and collaboration between private and public sector partners across the continent.

“We don't want to do research that only ends up in the lab. We want to see this being translated where it makes an impact. We want to see the commercialization and scaling up of some of the solutions that we've developed,” Dlamini said.

CSIR employs about 2,400 staff, of whom 1,600 are scientists, researchers and engineers. The council’s cutting-edge research has led to numerous breakthroughs outside of plastics, including the development of a stem cell technology that could hold the key to finding cures to some of Africa's most prevalent diseases. Other highlights include techniques to genetically engineer pearl millet to boost its nutritional value and a high-resolution mapping tool to manage South Africa’s forests and monitor their biodiversity.

“We are not just about making materials or blending polymers,” said Maya Jacob John, a principal researcher at CSIR. “In the long run, [our goal] is solving problems, including plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.” 

About the UNEP Champions of the Earth

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP)Champions of the Earth honours individuals and organizations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. The annual Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental honour. #EarthChamps 

About the #BeatPollution campaign

To fight the pervasive impact of pollution on society, UNEP launched #BeatPollution , a strategy for rapid, large-scale and coordinated action against air, land and water pollution. The strategy highlights the impact of pollution on climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and human health. Through science-based messaging, the campaign showcases how transitioning to a pollution-free planet is vital for future generations.