From waste to worth: Why public-private collaboration is key to unlocking South Africa’s green economy
Poovi Pillay – Executive Head: Social Impact Unit
As South Africa navigates the intersecting pressures of climate change, systemic inequality, and a sluggish economy, the green economy emerges as a compelling path forward, not only to environmental sustainability but also to inclusive, job-rich growth. Yet, unlocking its full potential demands more than vision; it requires intentional and strategic collaboration between the public sector, private enterprise, and civil society.
The green economy represents a shift from a linear, extractive model of development to one that is regenerative, circular, and inclusive. It cuts across high-impact sectors such as sustainable agriculture, water stewardship, clean energy, and waste innovation, sectors that not only mitigate environmental degradation but also hold transformative potential for job creation and economic participation, particularly among historically marginalised groups.
Despite its promise, this space remains underleveraged. Many green entrepreneurs, especially youth, women, and people with disabilities, face structural barriers: limited access to capital, constrained market access, and a lack of enabling policy or infrastructure. To address these challenges, South Africa needs a model of bold, cross-sector collaboration that goes beyond transactional partnerships and into systems-level change.
Nedbank’s Green Economy Social Impact Strategy, in partnership with enterprise development pioneers such as Fetola and Indalo Inclusive, demonstrates what’s possible. Both Fetola and Indalo Inclusive have carved a unique niche in South Africa’s impact ecosystem by nurturing green enterprises with the potential to drive large-scale transformation.
These organisations serve as critical enablers, ensuring that investment flows into businesses that are not only commercially viable but also environmentally restorative and socially inclusive. As South Africa prepares to host the 2025 Allfashion Sourcing Summit, the focus is shifting from aesthetics to impact, from what we produce to how and why we produce it. More than just a celebration of fashion and design, this year’s summit spotlights sustainability, circularity, and inclusive entrepreneurship.
The collaboration at the Allfashion Sourcing Summit is more than a showcase; it is a strategic alignment of purpose. It illustrates how banks, incubators, development partners, and entrepreneurs can work together to transform traditional industries into engines of green, inclusive growth.
The summit offers a national stage for green economy enterprises to showcase circular innovation, gain access to new markets, and highlight their contributions to a more inclusive, sustainable South Africa. Enterprises like Vivacious Eco Vixen, Mabotho, Lilly Loompa, and Nic & Nic represent a new wave of entrepreneurs who are not merely beneficiaries of support, but active cocreators of a circular economy aligned with the country’s transformation agenda.
Through strategic partnerships that provide funding, technical support, market access, and visibility, these small- and medium enterprises are creating meaningful employment in marginalised communities, reducing waste through innovative, circular design, advancing economic inclusion for women, youth, and people with disabilities, demonstrating the commercial potential of sustainability in a rapidly evolving green economy.
The green economy is not an idealistic alternative; it is the economy of the future. But it won’t grow organically. It needs a holistic societal approach, with public and private actors stepping in as co-creators rather than competitors.
Through deliberate investment in green enterprises, support for inclusive entrepreneurship, and the nurturing of scalable, high-impact business models, South Africa can transition from waste to worth, from exclusion to opportunity, and from reactive policies to a transformative vision.
The collaboration with Fetola and Indalo Inclusive reflects a shared commitment to building an ecosystem where green enterprises can thrive, not as beneficiaries of charity, but as agents of systemic change.
