About Petco

We’re committed to a circular economy

What is Petco and what do we do?

Petco Producer Responsibility Organisation NPC is a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), incorporated in 2004, that administers Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes on behalf of its members for various identified products in the packaging sector. Petco serves as a national organisation, facilitating and supporting the collection and recycling value chain, guiding packaging design, stimulating end-use markets for recycled material, and conducting various communication and awareness initiatives. Petco is a collective organisation, set up by our producer members to fulfil their extended producer responsibility obligations, by taking accountability for their products throughout its entire life cycle, as mandated by Section 18 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act. Petco’s efforts have led to annual growth in South Africa’s collection and recycling rates, diverting packaging from landfills and promoting a circular economy. Petco is registered with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Registration number: 19/7/5/P/PRO/20210517/001.

How we work to build a sustainable value chain

Our guiding values

Combining private sector principles with best practice in sustainable development

These five basic values guide Petco’s way of working, the way the organisation meets the needs of its member companies and other partners, and the way it engages with civil society and stakeholders:

1. Respect

Petco and its members and stakeholders work on
the basis of respect, appreciation and commitment. We insist that there be respect in all our relationships; between the company and our partners, between our staff and members, and between members themselves.

2. Empowerment

We seek every opportunity to create work, entrepreneurship opportunities and hope for previously disadvantaged people, including women, for whom the recovery of waste for recycling may be a lifeline.

3. Integrity

Petco and its membership believe that all its activities must be carried out with honesty, sincerity, care and reliability. We take every precaution to protect confidentiality and business advantage.

4. Professionalism

Petco is committed to maintaining high standards and, wherever possible, anticipating the future needs of members – and providing its services in an efficient manner.

5. Sustainability

Subscribing to triple bottom-line business principles, we seek at all times to implement business practices that are environmentally and socially sustainable, in recognition of our responsibility to current and future generations.

Our Work

Commercial-scale recycling projects

We enter into contractual agreements with our recycling partners to ensure that packaging is sustainably recycled into viable end-use products.

Collector support and training

Petco offers support to individuals and enterprises that are contributing to the volumes of valuable packaging being collected for recycling in South Africa. We provide support in the form of equipment and training to help them, and their businesses thrive.

Communication and awareness

Interested consumers – individuals, schools, organisations – can access Petco’s wide range of resources to find out how to identify recyclable packaging, and how to collect, sort and recycle it effectively. With great buying power comes great responsibility!

Facilitating a circular economy

We are motivated by the drive to see that every piece of packaging put onto the market by our members is designed for recycling, and then collected and recycled – ensuring that valuable packaging doesn’t end up at landfill and instead goes back into the economy.

Our latest annual review

We help our members meet their legislated and corporate targets. See how we fared in our latest annual review.

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