Perceptions on the environmental responsibility of South African paper producers.
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Date
2013
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Abstract
“Perceptions on the Environmental Responsibility of South African Paper Producers”,
is a research topic that has been developed to understand if individuals consider the
paper industry to have a positive or negative impact on the environment and natural
resources. This follows from the increasing global focus that is placed on industry
with regards to their impact on the environment and their contribution to climate
change. The study aims to confirm if individuals associate the paper industry with
deforestation, as a contributor to climate change, and as a sustainable industry. The
study population was business executives in the Durban, KwaZulu Natal region, and
a samples group chosen on a non-probability basis, from the database of the Durban
Chamber of Commerce & Industry was selected, using the Krejcie and Morgan
Model (1970). Questionnaires were submitted electronically, via Questionpro, to the
selected targeted sample. One hundred and twelve respondents completed the
survey with the data being suitable for further statistical analysis. The results were
analysed in context of the objectives of the study that have been outlined. The
outcome of the research highlighted that individuals do confirm paper to be an
important commodity, but are of the perception that the South African paper
producers are a major contributor to the degradation of the environment by both their
impact on forestry as well as their contribution to climate change. Digital technology
is also rated to be more environmentally friendly than paper, while paper recycling is
considered as essential. The results also identified that the public are uninformed on
the practices and initiatives of the industry and consider this to be due to poor
communication from the industry. Recommendations that have risen from this study
include the industry’s communication methods with the general public on its activities
and sustainability practices, together with involvement with the public to improve on
the recovery of paper waste. There have been some limitations to the study, such as
the availability of data, from previous studies, on the topic as well as the slow rate of
responses for data collection purposes, but none have obstructed the purpose or
process of the research.
Description
MBA University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.
Keywords
Paper industry--South Africa., Papermaking--Climatic factors--South Africa., Environmental responsibility--South Africa., Theses--Business administration.