After we completed the film, REDISA was placed under liquidation following an investigation by the government of South Africa into poor governance practices and financial irregularities, in which two of its directors that are featured in the film were implicated: Hermann Erdmann and Stacey Davidson . As the filmmakers – and also on behalf of our promotional partners like the Circular Economy Club – we wish to add our clear position on this:
- We unreservedly condemn any form of corruption by any organisation, whether they are part of the circular economy or not. If anything, companies making a claim to be sustainable have an even stronger obligation to demonstrate transparent governance and good ethics.
- We have not cut REDISA from the film, since the circular business model it demonstrates is sound and the inclusive social empowerment benefits it created are important to communicate. These can still inspire others, especially those spreading the circular economy to emerging markets.
- We regard the continued inclusion of REDISA in the film as a tribute to the many honest and humble workers and beneficiaries of REDISA who shared their time and stories with us. We feel their voices should not be silenced due to the inappropriate actions, which was beyond their control.
- Our advice to those wishing to screen the film is to make their audiences aware of REDISA’s closure, the reasons why and the filmmakers’ rationale for keeping it in the documentary. Should they feel uncomfortable with sharing the REDISA story, the screenings hosts can simply skip over that segment of the film (43″17′ to 54″16′).
Should you require more information, you can find the full legal judgement here.