To work towards its vision of a waste-free future, Nestlé Nigeria takes necessary actions to promote behavioral changes, and to build a circular ecosystem in waste management, starting from the company’s employees and extending to the communities closest to its operations and to a wider audience across Nigeria.
With a strong commitment to help protect, renew and restore the environment, the company is implementing many initiatives promoting Environmental Sustainability.
In 2022, Nestlé Nigeria launched her employee plastics collection scheme, which inspires staff to protect the environment and combat plastic pollution by inculcating the habit of sorting wastes at source and recycling for sustainable environmental management.
Through the scheme, employees return all plastic materials, not limited to the company’s brands, and earn points culminating in exciting rewards and management recognition.
Over the years, the company has partnered with the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre on the “Advancing Nutrition, Health and Environmental Awareness” through the media training, which equips journalists to effectively communicate and educate the Nigerian populace on global best practices and lifestyle choices that impact everyday living and carry out fact based reporting on nutrition, health, wellness, the environment, climate change, and corporate sustainability practices.
Nestlé has also extended her education campaign to the younger generations through the Sustainability Training for Kids, which enables children imbibe a sustainability mindset from an early age, thereby preparing them to become better stewards of the planet.
The training implemented in collaboration with the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI), furnishes children with information on waste management, introduces them to the conversion of waste to useful items, and encourages them to adopt positive behavioral changes to enhance environmental sustainability. The children are also taught sorting of waste at source with the donation of segregated bins to participating schools.
In Nigeria where we have a nascent waste collection system, poorly managed waste ends up in waterways and clogs drainage, exacerbating the environmental hazards, including flooding which we are increasingly experiencing due to the effects of climate change.
Data shows that Nigeria generates more than 32 million tons of waste per year with Lagos alone producing about 10,000 metric tons of waste daily. Addressing the plastic waste challenge requires behavior change from all and Nestlé believes that there is no better place to start than from within. Nestlé Nigeria is therefore collaborating internally and with external stakeholders to address the waste challenge in line with the company’s global vision that none of its post-consumer packaging waste ends up in waterways or as litter in the environment.
Nestlé’s employees to help promote awareness on environmentally sound waste management practices for a clean, safe and sustainable planet. Every year, volunteers under Nestlé Cares, the company’s global employee volunteering initiative, collaborate with the Africa Clean-Up Initiative (ACI), an NGO passionate about raising environmentally responsible citizens, for cleanup, sensitization and advocacy on Environmental Sustainability.
This year, over 400 Nestlé employees joined the campaign by visiting twelve markets across the country. The cleanup exercise executed in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Sagamu, Ibadan, Jos, Abuja, Awka, Ota, Agbara, Enugu and Abaji, was powered by MAGGI, one of Nestlé’s leading brands.
Speaking, Nestlé Nigeria’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Victoria Uwadoka, said, “At Nestlé, we are taking concrete actions to protect, renew and restore the environment every day. We are conscious that indiscriminate waste disposal coupled with limited recovery services aggravates the waste crisis. We also recognize that creating awareness through advocacy is necessary on our journey towards a waste free future.
“Our priorities therefore, include improving post consumption plastic waste management by motivating behavioral changes and creating an efficient recovery system in collaboration with other industry and community stakeholders. We are also accelerating sustainability education through our employees, the media, our communities and children in our Nestlé for Healthier Kids beneficiary schools. The market cleanup exercises are one of the ways we have sustained our efforts of improving our environment over the past five years.”
According to Dr. Alexander Akhigbe, Founder/CEO African Clean-Up Initiative, “Participating in cleanup exercises is a great way to get involved and make a difference in keeping our environment clean and healthy for everyone. At African Clean-Up Initiative, we are passionate about raising environmentally responsible citizens and communities, working for the highest good of the planet.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
