Gqeberha, South Africa – 06 October 2025
The Metal Packaging Association of South (MetPac-SA) partnered with Hatsu Tocho Pty Ltd in educating Foundation Phase learners about the importance of recycling metal, paper, plastic and glass.
The program through which this is done is the Firstgrader Environmental Education Campaign. In 2024 the campaign reached over 2 000 learners and will reach 2 500 learners in 2025. The program duration is 45min to an hour and includes a short teaching about the importance of recycling, and explaining the concept of carbon footprint is done during the planting of two fruit trees at each school. After the tree planting learners receive gifts that are related to nature. Each learner receives an Enviro-Starter Kit containing a 25-piece puzzle, a wordsearch with words related to nature and a variety of vegetable and flower seeds for them to start their own gardens. Learners are given an opportunity to enter the drawing competition and receive an A2 size entry form as well as a bottle of spring water to give them an appreciation for clean drinking water.
Says Carmelia Miles, Public Relations Practitioner at Hatsu Tocho: “The Enviro-Starter Kit is a vehicle used to remind learners of what the program teaches by giving them tools such as the puzzles, wordsearch and seeds that will cement the idea of taking care of the environment. We are thrilled to have MetPac-SA as a partner. Their involvement enables us to reach the learners at the schools we visit with meaningful products and educational gifts that keep on giving, through the purchasing of the Enviro-Starter Kits which we donate to the learners on their behalf.”
“The Firstgrader Environmental Education Campaign speaks to our sustainable development principles through investment in post-consumer metal packaging recovery and reutilization,” says Dr Kishan Singh, Chief Executive officer at MetPac-SA.
“MetPac-SA is actively involved in community upliftment and education and our involvement and investment with Hatsu Tocho is no different. We encourage all businesses to get involved with the Firstgrader Environmental Education Campaign”, concludes Singh.
