Strategic Expansion into Africa Unlocks Major B2B Collaborations
Think Plastic Brazil, a portfolio of solutions for the plastic-converted products sector in the process of internationalizing to target markets, hosted a business mission to South Africa from June 17 to 20, 2025, bringing together 21 Brazilian companies for business meetings as part of its strategy to strengthen trade relations with the African continent. This initiative was carried out through a partnership between ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) and INP (Brazilian Plastics Institute). The mission directly earned US$910,000 in revenue, with an additional US$5 million anticipated over the next 12 months.
“The African markets occupy a strategic position in the process of geographic diversification of exports in the converted plastics sector. Currently, more than 95% of exports are concentrated in the Americas, which represents a structural risk in terms of regional dependence. In this context, Africa emerges as a promising frontier, with concrete opportunities for commercial integration due to its young population, accelerated growth, and increased demand for manufactured products. From a strategic perspective, the African continent represents, for the companies supported by the Think Plastic Brazil Portfolio, what Latin America represented in previous decades: a growing market with strong potential for medium- and long-term relationships,” explains Carlos Moreira, INP Executive Director and Think Plastic Brazil CPO.
Throughout the event, 255 business meetings were held with 251 new contacts from eight countries: South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The participating Brazilian companies are from the housewares, construction, toys and childcare, and plastics industries.
During the mission, technical visits were made to Big 5 companies and retail stores in the housewares sector, where the Brazilian companies held meetings with their management. Carlos Moreira, INP Executive Director and Think Plastic Brazil CPO, and our market specialists, Daniela Ornelas and Cristina Sacramento, also accompanied the group of companies on guided tours, in stores, and at a large distributor of hardware and agribusiness supplies operating in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region.
Finally, the team, composed of Carlos Moreira, Daniela Ornelas, and Cristina Sacramento, was welcomed at the Brazilian Embassy in South Africa by Benedicto Fonseca Filho, Brazilian Ambassador to Pretoria; Carlos Vitor Müller, Agricultural Attaché; and Bruno Leite, diplomat. During the visit, they discussed the upcoming Mission to the region in 2026, the potential of the sector as the fifth largest in the world, and the importance of investing in innovation, design, and sustainability. They also presented the Color Trend 2026, a guide to colors and trends in plastics, and the International Yearbook 2025, an updated catalog of Brazilian companies that brings together Think Plastic Brazil members in the converted plastics sector and is an excellent showcase for buyers and partners.
WEBINAR
Think Plastic Brazil will host the webinar “Eyes on Africa: What We Experienced and Learned at the Africa Trade Mission” on July 17th, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, on the Teams platform. The objective of the virtual meeting is to present the main results, lessons learned, and challenges overcome by the companies that participated in the Africa Trade Mission, to provide insights into the business potential of the African continent, market profiles, and future opportunities for Brazilian companies. It will also include an interactive session to answer questions with experts and representatives of the companies that participated in the mission.
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