As Nigeria’s inhabitants continues to develop, estimated by the United Nations
Population Fund to succeed in over 237 million by 2025—so does the quantity of waste
generated throughout the nation. With over 32 million tonnes of stable waste produced
yearly in response to the World Bank, the strain on metropolis authorities and personal
stakeholders to develop sustainable waste administration programs has by no means been
higher.
Among probably the most transformative responses to this problem is the Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) coverage, launched in 2014 by means of the National Environmental
Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). This coverage gave start to
the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) in 2018, Nigeria’s first Producer
Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the meals and beverage sector.
Since its institution, FBRA has advanced from a consortium of 4 founding
members into a sturdy alliance of 49 member organisations as at November 2025,
collectively driving the restoration, recycling, and round administration of submit
client packaging waste. The Alliance has efficiently collected over 100,000
metric tonnes of plastic waste from the setting, redefining waste not as a
nuisance however as a useful resource inside Nigeria’s round financial system.
“While FBRA may not be a household name on the streets, its impact is visible in
cleaner communities and empowered waste collectors, particularly in Lagos State,”
mentioned Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability
Lead at Nestlé Nigeria.
Beyond being one in every of Nigeria’s largest and most trusted meals and beverage corporations,
Nestlé Nigeria has taken a daring management function in environmental sustainability and
waste administration. The firm’s method goes past folks and revenue, it
embraces planet stewardship as a core enterprise precept.
Nestlé Nigeria was one in every of FBRA’s founding members, and through the years has remained
one in every of its most lively supporters and advocates. As Victoria Uwadoka explains:
“Though as producers we compete commercially, we unite as
collaborators when it comes to fulfilling shared environmental
responsibilities.”
This collaborative spirit has been the muse of Nestlé’s pioneering achievements
in packaging innovation and waste restoration. In December 2023, the corporate
achieved 100% plastic neutrality, taking again each tonne of plastic it put into the
market. This milestone underscores Nestlé’s dedication to making sure that the
quantity of packaging materials it introduces into the setting is matched by an
equal quantity recovered and recycled.
Furthermore, Nestlé grew to become the primary firm in Nigeria to include 50% recycled
polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) into its Nestlé Pure Life water bottles, absolutely
compliant with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria’s food-grade packaging
requirements. This initiative displays not a one-time dedication however a sustained effort
towards circularity, a feat many producers have but to match persistently.
Through FBRA’s framework, Nestlé Nigeria and different producers have been in a position to
provoke the waste worth chain, from assortment to transformation, making certain that
plastics are retrieved, recycled, and reintegrated into manufacturing cycles. The Alliance’s
mannequin demonstrates that when producers, recyclers, collectors, and regulators
collaborate, waste turns into wealth.
“The manufacturers do not produce plastics to litter the streets,” Uwadoka explains.
“Consumers discard them, but through FBRA’s system, that waste is recovered,
creating jobs and value in the process.”
She additional emphasised the significance of circularity in Nestlé’s sustainability
method:
“Every bottle that is taken out and doesn’t end up in the ocean is one bottle
less of a problem. Closing the loop is key, circularity is the destination. It’s
not just about collection but ensuring we use, collect, transform, and
reuse.”
The FBRA-Nestlé partnership exemplifies how industry-led collaboration can drive actual
affect in environmental administration. Through shared accountability, steady
funding, and innovation, each organisations usually are not solely addressing Nigeria’s
waste challenges but in addition advancing world sustainability objectives.
As Nestlé Nigeria continues to take the lead in closing the loop and FBRA strengthens
the bridge between producers and recyclers, the message is evident: constructing a cleaner,
extra sustainable Nigeria is a collective effort—and progress is properly underway.
Written by
Adebote Mayowa
Photojournalist, Creative Director, Climagraphy
