Infinite Industries’ Maggie Bozic Infante is taking South Africa’s circular economy to infinity and beyond. Her husband saw a gap for greener materials in the mining industry, setting the stage for their next move. With her mining acumen, they sought to revolutionise how things are done, building on that opportunity.
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Since his passing, she’s been balancing the family and the business, carrying both forward.
With Tetra Pak’s support, her business is on track to transform South Africa’s circular economy.
She recently discussed the challenges, strengths and pride of running a business, reflecting on the journey.
Please briefly explain your professional journey and your inspiration behind Infinite Industries?
My experience in the mining industry led my late husband, Hugo, to found Infinite Industries.
Hugo noticed the excessive use of timber in the mining industry and was determined to offer greener products.
My job was to convince them to try something new and challenge the way they had done things for the last 50 years.
What are some of the biggest challenges you faced early on in building the business?
When we started, one of our biggest challenges was securing investment and proving ourselves.
We had to convince people to listen to what we were doing and understand that we were developing something unique. We were working with difficult-to-recycle, multi-laminated materials, which traditionally require separation as the first step in the recycling process.
We wanted to take a different approach and find a way to process materials such as liquid board packaging without separating them first.
Another challenge was that, at the time, companies were not yet under the same level of obligation to consider their carbon footprint.
Sustainability was often viewed as a “nice to have”, particularly among local businesses, while multinational companies were
generally further ahead.
We approached companies to explain what we could do with their waste, and although they were impressed by the solution, they were not necessarily prepared to invest the required amount.
Overcoming these challenges has required persistence, proving the value of our solution and continuing to demonstrate what is possible.
As a woman leading the business, I have also had to build confidence in my own abilities and surround myself with the right people and support structures to keep moving the business forward.
As a woman leading a manufacturing and recycling business, what unique obstacles, if any, did you encounter and how were you able to overcome them?
We've faced a number of challenges, many of which we are still navigating today.
One of the biggest is the rising cost of energy.
Electricity and fuel costs have increased significantly, in some cases almost doubling our input costs, which makes it increasingly challenging to operate a manufacturing and recycling business.
I think another big challenge for any woman leading a business is balancing family and business.
When my husband passed away unexpectedly, I had to step up and take over the business while also making sure my family’s needs were taken care of.
At the same time, I was responsible for running a business that supports not only my family but also the people who work for me.
When I took over, I was also sometimes underestimated on the factory floor and questioned about whether I was technical enough to lead the business.
I’ve learnt that having the right support around you is important.
You don’t have to have every skill yourself; you need to surround yourself with people who complement your strengths.
I also believe we need to challenge the stereotype that women are better suited to retail or service businesses.
Many women successfully lead industrial operations, mining businesses, and manufacturing companies.
Women also bring a different perspective to business – we think beyond profits and often consider the long-term impact of what we are building and the future we are creating for the next generation.
What has made Infinite Industries unique in their approach around waste recycling?
I would say the biggest thing that makes Infinite Industries unique is our ability to process multi-laminated materials without separating them first.
That is a key part of our technology and what sets us apart.
Multi-laminated materials contain different materials, such as plastic, paper, fibre, and aluminium, laminated together.
Traditionally, these materials can be difficult and energy-intensive to separate, and some are therefore considered difficult or uneconomical to recycle.
We took a different approach by asking: how can we process these materials without the additional energy and cost involved in separating them?
With materials such as liquid board packaging, which contains fibre, plastic, and aluminium, we can process the entire package without separating the individual materials first.
That allows us to divert materials that would otherwise potentially end up in landfill and turn them into a useful product, which is a key part of what makes Infinite Industries’ approach unique.
What has been the proudest moment of your business to date?
I would say one of my proudest moments was recently, when we received the Seifsa Environmental Stewardship Award.
There were so many strong names and established businesses in the competition, so it was an honour to be part of it, never mind winning.
It was a moment to look back at how far we have come and recognise what we have achieved as a team.
But I think the wins are also in the small things that happen every day.
Whether it’s solving a technical problem, troubleshooting an issue in the factory or finding a solution to a challenge and seeing it work, those moments give me confidence in myself and motivate me to keep going.
So while winning the award was certainly a major proud moment for me, I’m always proud when we overcome a challenge and achieve something together as a team.
How did your partnership with Tetra Pak begin?
I think it was quite challenging at first as a small business dealing with a multinational company.
We had to establish and understand the protocols and requirements that Tetra Pak needed to comply with.
As a small company, we can make decisions quickly and implement them immediately. In contrast, a multinational company has processes and different stakeholders involved, so we had to learn how to navigate the corporate space and understand the expectations of a global organisation.
It was really about finding common ground and understanding each other.
As a small business, we had our own challenges, while Tetra Pak had its sustainability goals and objectives and needed to understand how we could contribute to achieving them.
Like any relationship or partnership, it was about getting to know each other, completing the necessary due diligence, and understanding what each party needed.
Once we had worked through those processes and established that common understanding, the partnership came together quite naturally.
We recognised that moving forward together was far more effective than trying to achieve our respective goals separately: Infinite Industries could provide a solution, while Tetra Pak had clear sustainability objectives that it was serious about achieving.
How has partnering with Tetra Pak contributed towards advancing South Africa’s circular economy?
I think the numbers speak for themselves in terms of the volumes collected and the level of commitment Tetra Pak has shown towards achieving its goals.
Even though Infinite Industries is an SME and not a global enterprise, Tetra Pak has recognised us as an important partner in achieving its circular economy objectives, and I think that is what makes the company unique.
By supporting small businesses like Infinite Industries, Tetra Pak has helped create a much greater impact.
Our collection volumes have increased significantly, reaching the highest levels we have ever achieved, and they continue to grow.
I would say this has made a meaningful impact for both Infinite Industries and Tetra Pak, and has contributed significantly to advancing the circular economy in South Africa.
As a woman leading an innovative recycling business, what does it mean to partner with a global company like Tetra Pak, and how has that collaboration supported your growth and impact?
When my personal circumstances changed, one of the things that made a significant difference was having a multinational company like Tetra Pak come forward and offer its support.
As a woman-owned business, having Tetra Pak recognise what I was trying to achieve and say, “We are here to support you in continuing to fulfil your dreams for this business – how can we help?” meant a great deal to me.
That support went a long way toward giving me confidence and helping me overcome some of the insecurities I had at the time. Knowing that I had the backing of a strong global company like Tetra Pak, with its global footprint, and that they believed in me and believed I could continue, made a real difference.
The ongoing conversations and Tetra Pak’s efforts to highlight women in recycling have also been valuable, both for me personally and for Infinite Industries.
The partnership has provided encouragement and support as we continue to grow our business and our impact.
What excites you most about the future of recycling and circular manufacturing in South Africa?
What excites me most is that we’ve only just started discovering what’s possible with waste materials.
I think it’s an exciting space to be in, particularly as materials continue to evolve, packaging designers increasingly look for more sustainable solutions, and technology makes recycling more efficient and scalable.
At the end of the day, the work we do today contributes to a cleaner future for generations to come.
It’s also encouraging to see how compliance, particularly through EPR, has created a new dynamic in South Africa around waste management and recycling, while creating economic opportunities.
The demand for recycled products has also grown substantially, so it’s an exciting time to be involved in recycling and circular manufacturing and to see how the sector will continue to grow.
What do you hope your journey demonstrates to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?
I hope my journey demonstrates to the next generation of female entrepreneurs that women bring unique strengths to business. In the recycling industry especially, qualities like compassion, resilience, empathy, and a nurturing mindset naturally align with creating a more sustainable future.
I also hope it shows that no journey is without challenges or unexpected detours.
There will always be obstacles, but they don’t have to define us. By believing in ourselves, supporting one another, and embracing the power of collaboration, we can overcome adversity and achieve far more than we ever imagined.
When women lift each other, we don’t just build successful businesses; we create lasting impact for our communities, our environment, and the generations that follow.
