Redisa
REDISA is a South African non-profit founded in 2012 that operated South Africa's first nationwide circular-economy programme for waste tyres, funding collection, recycling and small-enterprise development through a government-administered tyre levy; it is currently preparing to restart operations following a 2019 court exoneration and an active mandate dispute.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersGauteng, South Africa
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Redisa does
REDISA (Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa) is a South African Non-Profit Company (NPC) founded in 2012 that operated South Africa's first and only national circular economy programme for waste tyres. From 2013 to 2017, REDISA administered the government's Industry Waste Management Plan under a R2.30+VAT/kg levy collected by SARS on every new tyre sold, deploying the funds to finance a nationwide reverse-logistics network built around 22 tyre collection centres, a network of more than 3,000 waste collectors and transporters, and 226 small waste enterprises (SMMEs). The integrated portfolio of products and services includes the REDISA Plan (a national collection, storage, processing and recycling system), Environmental Ratings developed through the Product Testing Institute (a world-first centre founded by REDISA), Design-for-Recycling research funding to South African tertiary institutions, and market-development programmes that create demand for recycled crumb rubber and downstream products.
REDISA's business model is fundamentally regulatory and levy-driven rather than transactional: it operates as a mandated industry body funded by a transaction-style take rate on every tyre sold nationwide, not via registration fees or commercial sales. Its customer base is structurally bifurcated — a single anchor counterparty (the South African government, through SARS-administered levy flows and ministerial mandates) on the revenue side, and a long tail of SMB counterparties (collectors, transporters, recyclers, SMMEs) on the execution side. During its operational peak the firm diverted an estimated 98% of South Africa's waste tyre stream into recycling, offset roughly 59,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, and earned international recognition including WEF The Circulars 2016 Runner-up and an Ellen MacArthur Foundation / McKinsey advisory role.
Following a 2017 provisional liquidation initiated by the Minister of Environmental Affairs (which was overturned and fully reversed by the Supreme Court of Appeal in January 2019 as 'patently unlawful'), REDISA is currently in a pre-operational restart phase. Headcount is 51-100, the firm is preparing to re-start operations upon receipt of a renewed mandate, and in September 2024 it filed a High Court challenge against the government's successor Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan (IWTMP), prompting Environment Minister Dion George to withdraw that plan for comprehensive review. The outcome of this regulatory dispute is the single defining variable for the firm's forward trajectory.
Redisa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Redisa
- Legal name
- Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA)
- Website
- https://redisa.org.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- REDISA is a South African non-profit founded in 2012 that operated South Africa's first nationwide circular-economy programme for waste tyres, funding collection, recycling and small-enterprise development through a government-administered tyre levy; it is currently preparing to restart operations following a 2019 court exoneration and an active mandate dispute.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Redisa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Tyre Management / Circular Economy Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (5621), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tire Recycling & Processing (Shredding, TDF, Pyrolysis Feedstock) (IMANAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tire Recycling, Disposal & Sustainability Services (TLAKADAI), Special Waste Transfer (Tires, Mattresses, Appliances) (BPALABAG), Recycling & Materials Recovery Logistics (E-waste, Batteries, Metals, Plastics) (TLAIAHAD)
Keywords
Where Redisa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gauteng
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Redisa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Waste Tyre Levy: REDISA's operations were funded by a waste tyre levy of R2.30+VAT/kg included in the prices of tyres by producers and importers. The levy was collected by SARS and intended to support the removal and recycling of waste tyres in South Africa.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Government Levy |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Redisa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
REDISA operates a national circular economy programme for waste tyres in South Africa, running a nation-wide reverse logistics network of 22 collection centres that collect, store, process and redistribute waste tyres to recyclers. The organization also funds design-for-recycling research at South African tertiary institutions, operates the Product Testing Institute to develop Environmental Ratings, and runs market development programmes to create demand for recycled tyre material.
Product overview
REDISA (Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa) is a South African NPC that operates as a circular economy organization focused on waste tyre management. Their portfolio includes the REDISA Plan (a comprehensive waste tyre management system featuring a nation-wide reverse logistics network with 22 collection centres), Environmental Ratings through the Product Testing Institute, Design for Recycling Research Support at tertiary institutions, and Market Development Programs for recycled materials. The organization operates on a circular economy model that promotes waste minimization, re-use, and recycling, creating value from what would otherwise be discarded as waste.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of waste tyres diverted to recycling from 2013-2017
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Redisa
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Redisa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Redisa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- European CommissionmajorCEO Hermann Erdmann participated in European Development Days panel on circular economy. Other panellists included Mebrahtu Meles (Ethiopia), Chloé Chambre (SUEZ), Ruben Baumer (Belgium), chaired by Karmenu Vella (EU Commissioner).
- SUEZmajorPartner in European Development Days 2016 panel on circular economy and sustainable consumption.
- Government of Ethiopia (State Minister of Industry)minorMebrahtu Meles, State Minister of Industry in Ethiopia, was co-panellist at European Development Days 2016.
- Ocean ConservancycoreREDISA was invited as a partner in the 'Stemming the Tide' report alongside Dow Chemical Company, The Coca-Cola Company, American Chemistry Council and World Wildlife Fund. The report outlined land-based solutions for plastic waste in the ocean.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF)corePartner in Ocean Conservancy's 'Stemming the Tide' report on land-based solutions for plastic-free ocean.
- Dow Chemical CompanycorePartner in Ocean Conservancy's 'Stemming the Tide' report on land-based solutions for plastic-free ocean.
- The Coca-Cola CompanycorePartner in Ocean Conservancy's 'Stemming the Tide' report on land-based solutions for plastic-free ocean.
- American Chemistry CouncilcorePartner in Ocean Conservancy's 'Stemming the Tide' report on land-based solutions for plastic-free ocean.
- Ellen MacArthur FoundationcoreREDISA served on the Advisory Board to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation/McKinsey circular economy report, presented by Dame Ellen at the circular economy conference in Brussels on 25 June 2015. This was a significant milestone for South Africa's circular economy efforts.
- McKinsey & CompanycorePartnered with McKinsey & Company on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy report as part of the Advisory Board.
- Product Testing InstitutecoreREDISA founded the Product Testing Institute as a world-first centre for developing Environmental Ratings to incentivise the right environmental behaviour.
- National Treasury of South AfricacoreThe REDISA plan was officially gazetted in November 2012. The waste tyre levy of R2.30+VAT/kg was collected by SARS and managed in coordination with National Treasury policy.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Redisa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Eldan Recycling: Danish manufacturer of tyre and cable recycling equipment and turnkey processing plants. Comparable to REDISA's processing-network buildout through supply of the shredding, granulation and separation equipment that underpins tyre-to-material recycling operations.
Broad incumbents
- SUEZ: Global environmental services group with waste collection, materials recovery and circular-economy operations in more than 40 countries. Directly relevant as a peer with which REDISA has appeared on the same European Development Days panel and which operates competing EPR-style waste management schemes internationally.
- Liberty Tire Recycling: The largest North American tyre recycling company, operating a national network of collection and processing facilities that diverts more than 110 million tyres annually. It is comparable to REDISA as a scaled, vertically integrated operator of a tyre reverse-logistics and processing network, but operates as a private for-profit rather than an NPC.
- Ragn-Sells Group: Scandinavian environmental services company operating circular-economy and materials recovery services across Northern Europe. Comparable to REDISA as a circular-economy operator working with governments on producer responsibility and resource recovery.
Direct peers
- Genan A/S: Danish-headquartered tyre recycling specialist with large-scale plants in Denmark, Germany and Portugal producing tyre-derived fuel, crumb rubber and reclaimed steel. Comparable to REDISA as a national/regional EPR-aligned tyre recycler operating a circular-economy model for end-of-life tyres.
- Lehigh Technologies (Michelin): US-based producer of micronised rubber powder from end-of-life tyres, now owned by Michelin. Comparable to REDISA's downstream recycling industry as a developer of high-value end markets for recycled tyre material.
- Waste Management Bureau (South Africa): The South African government body that took over REDISA's waste tyre mandate after the 2017 liquidation and currently administers the IWTMP. It is the most directly comparable operator, executing the same nationwide waste tyre collection and processing function that REDISA previously ran.
Regional players
- TyreCycle (Australia): Australia's largest tyre recycler, operating collection and processing infrastructure under product stewardship schemes in each Australian state. Directly comparable to REDISA in running an EPR-aligned national tyre stewardship program, but focused on the Australian market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Redisa social profiles
Digital presenceRedisa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Redisa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Redisa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Redisa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Redisa
What does Redisa do?
REDISA operates a national circular economy programme for waste tyres in South Africa, running a nation-wide reverse logistics network of 22 collection centres that collect, store, process and redistribute waste tyres to recyclers. The organization also funds design-for-recycling research at South African tertiary institutions, operates the Product Testing Institute to develop Environmental Ratings, and runs market development programmes to create demand for recycled tyre material.
Is Redisa a public or private company?
Redisa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Redisa founded?
Redisa was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Redisa based?
Redisa is headquartered in Gauteng, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Redisa make money?
One revenue line is on record: waste Tyre Levy.
Who are Redisa's main competitors?
Eldan Recycling is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are SUEZ, Liberty Tire Recycling and Ragn-Sells Group. Direct peers are Genan A/S, Lehigh Technologies (Michelin) and Waste Management Bureau (South Africa). TyreCycle (Australia) is listed as a regional player.
Does Redisa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Redisa.
What industry is Redisa in?
Redisa's product category is Waste Tyre Management / Circular Economy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAMAF, Tire Recycling & Processing (Shredding, TDF, Pyrolysis Feedstock), with a secondary code of TLAKADAI, Tire Recycling, Disposal & Sustainability Services. Its NAICS code is 5621 and its SIC code is 4953.