South Africa should take advantage of the multi-billion rand industry of greening its economy, said the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Minister Naledi Pandor.

Speaking at a green economy summit in Johannesburg, Pandor said that the country had significant opportunity to grow its investment in the renewable energy sector, in-line with government's target to increase its renewable energy capacity to 10 000 GWh by 2012.

Currently, the country only has about 10 MW of renewable wind energy, which is well-behind the 400 MW of wind energy capacity in Egypt.

Pandor said that even though the DST had handed over its renewable energy research and development arm to the Department of Environmental Affairs, the department was still very involved with other institutions to develop this field.

Further, the Minister pointed out that growing the country's green economy also created an opportunity for green jobs, which was a crucial aspect of sustainable growth in the country.

"Government has agreed to develop incentives for investments in programmes that would create large numbers of ‘green jobs', which includes employment in industries and facilities that are designed to mitigate the effects of climate change.

"This is important, if you take into account government's target of cutting unemployment by half between 2004 and 2014. To achieve this target, South Africa has to employ 700 000 people a year, and I think that green growth could contribute to this goal," said Pandor.

Meanwhile, the DST has been working on a number of strategies towards the building of a green economy. The Minister noted that the department had developed its own bio-composites that would be used in the manufacturing of aircrafts. "The next step is now to develop our own bio-resins for the industry."

The department was also engaged in the development of biodegradable packaging for fresh fruit, a world-first that has recently been taken up by Canadian buyers, and is gradually being taken up by the South African industry.

Pandor said that the DST had been engaging with industry, and specifically with the foundry industry, to create a "leaner, greener" industry, notably in public and global procurement.

She also said that owing to South Africa's large carbon footprint, more research and development (R&D) was necessary in carbon capture and carbon reduction technologies.

Pandor noted that the DST would be able to develop green technologies without compromising other research fields, if government's promise of supplying the DST with 1,5% of gross domestic product for investment in R&D was met by 2014.