Nampak ramps up

Nampak is ramping up production of aluminium cans as Africa’s biggest producer of beverage packaging responds to consumers’ global retreat from plastic. The Johannesburg-based company is also putting greater emphasis on cardboard cartons and developing a type of renewable plastic lid made from sugarcane, chief executive officer Andre de Ruyter said in a phone interview. That’s due to a growing concern about the impact of plastic on the environment, particularly on items such as single-use straws. "Consumer sentiment against plastic packaging that cannot be recycled is very clear," de Ruyter said. "Aluminium is a valuable metal and so people have…