ON the weekend’s episode of Marketplace Africa, CNN International explored South Africa’s plastic industry and spoke to local companies who are initiating ways to become more eco-friendly.

The plastics industry is big in South Africa, it employs more than 60 000 people and is estimated to be worth six billion dollars. According to the 2010 Jambeck report which studied marine waste, South Africa is ranked as the 11th highest contributor of plastics in the ocean, with 250 000 metric tons of plastic waste leaking into the ocean each year.