Nestlé Nigeria has said that its commitment to the environment is unwavering, which is responsible for its vision of keeping it a better place for all.
The beverage giant said this in a training organized in commemoration of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day, WCRD, held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, to educate members of the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria, BJAN, on how Nestlé’s activities are helping to sustain the environment.
The theme of the training held at the company’s Agbara plant, Ogun State, was, “The Green Economy: Building a Cleaner, Safer World for Consumers.”
Speaking at the event, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Nestlé, Victoria Uwadoka, said, Nestlé’s vision is hinged on four key targets; Climate activities, Sustainable packaging, Sustainable sourcing and caring for the water.
She said that Nestlé having been around for a long time can only help to sustain the environment, especially as it intended to remain for more years to come.
“We want Nestlé to be around for a very long time, to stay in the environment and continue in the environment; that is why we are seriously supporting sustainability – to sustain us, sustain our children and our children’s children.
“We have taken serious commitment and are conscious about our commitment – what we are saying is we don’t want any of the waste, be it plastic, paper or any other material to end up in the landfill, waterways, gutters, rivers, or the oceans – we want them to be managed sustainably,” Victoria said.
Also speaking at the event, Ibukun Ikpinmoye, Nestlé Factory Manager, Agbara plant said, the company respects the environment it operates, “because of that, we feel the need to preserve it and keep it for future use.”
According to Kayode Adewale, Nestlé’s Packaging Manager, one of the ways Nestlé ensures the preservation of the environment is its plastic neutrality. He said the company remains committed to designing plastic packaging for recycling and reusable and by reducing plastic use to paper because the ecosystem is a little more mature for paper than plastic, which is why it changed the Milo and Nescafé Ready-to-drink, RTD, straw from plastic to paper.
In response to a question on Nestlé’s plastic neutrality target, Victoria Uwadoka argued that the company has a minimum of 80% target by 2025, and already it has attained the 45% mark.
“Our plastic neutrality target is to have a minimum of 80% by 2025, and for different types of plastic, we are at different percentages. In Nigeria, we have a good ecosystem for recycling pet bottles we have a higher percentage for flexible, and a much lower percentage than that, for multilayer plastics lower than that because these are the ecosystems that are relatively grown. Our challenge with it is, what do you do with it when you collect them? Who will use it after that?
“In the case of pet bottles, for example, we have partners who are already transforming and using them for different things, on average, calculating all the plastics we are about 45%, with our target being 80% minimum by 2025.
“Nestlé has a community of people and some of the initiatives we drive, we do not do it alone, we work with sister companies and also work with MAN to ensure that we are sharing safe standards. For example, we are working towards zero waste and working with organizations within our community, so, we are actively involved with MAN and NECA among others.
“We are helping to create more awareness and to educate children, and also have training for journalists and other people within the ecosystem. We are doing all of these because we know that, if you do not have any information, you do not stand any chance.
“When you are in Nestlé, you see that our mannerisms will change, but if you visit other companies you might see that we are all working together on the same journey,” Uwadoka noted.
World Consumer Rights Day is a global event celebrated every March 15, to draw attention to the plights and rights of consumers.
The theme for this year is, “The Green Economy: Building a cleaner, safer world for consumers”. The theme was adapted from the 2023 WCRD global theme, “Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transition,” to suit Nigerian society.
BJAN Chairman, Clara Chinwe Okoro said the essence of partnering with Nestlé Nigeria in this year’s event is because of the beverage giant’s consistent commitment in the area of energy sustainability and sustainable growth and development for the environment, among others.
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