Beyond Greenwasshing & Bluewashing: ‘Periscoping’ Nestlé Nigeria’s Scorecard On Environmental Impact In 2024
Spotlighting the impact of general waste on the environment has become a clichéd reality, one that the world is sadly getting accustomed to while efforts at managing or intentionally working towards reducing its environmental impact is at best subjected to the green, blue and other forms of washing nations and corporate organisations are adept at employing to ‘look good’ before stakeholders.
In spite of efforts and widespread attention on the subject matter of waste and its impact on the environment and in spite of the scholarly and sage solutions, not much progress has been made so far. In cities like Lagos and Abuja, plastic waste clogs streets, rivers, and beaches. Indeed, Nigeria has been touted the largest producer of plastic in sub-Saharan Africa, but it has no comprehensive system to manage the waste. Lagos alone, a megacity home to over 20 million people, generates more than 10,000 tons of waste daily, much of which is plastic. Without proper disposal or recycling options, these plastics end up in the Lagos Lagoon, along roadways, and even in fields where food is grown.
When it rains, clogged drains lead to floods that disrupt lives and sweep away whatever might be in their path. For residents, it’s an ongoing struggle. “We’ve become so used to the sight of plastic bottles and bags everywhere,” says Tunde Olaitan, a street vendor with a corner store at the ever busy Mandilas, Lagos Island. “From where I stay in Akute on the mainland, down to this place, It’s like they’re part of our everywhere in Lagos now.”
However the good news is, in the face of all these, corporate players like Nestlé Nigeria are not relenting in their efforts to see positive changes. If anything, Nestle Nigeria is stepping up to drive environmental sustainability more aggressively. As a responsible corporate citizen, Nestlé has been committed to sustainability and ecological conservation over the years. In Nigeria and around the world, the multinational company has taken steps towards promoting green energy, renewable energy, and a sustainable environment.
A Rundown Of Nestle Nigeria’s 2024 Scorecard On Environmental Sustainability
They say that charity begins at home and Nestle Nigeria is taking the lead in driving effective environmental impact from its own base. One of the ways it is doing this is by reducing its carbon footprint. In Nigeria, the company has invested in renewable energy sources such as solar panels, biomass boilers, and waste-to-energy solutions to power its factories. By using these sustainable energy sources, Nestlé is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and lowering its greenhouse gas emissions.
Nestle Nigeria boasts a very impressive scorecard when it comes to its activities this year, aimed at positively impacting the environment and furthering its drive on sustainability.
Sustainable Packaging
As part of its dedication to providing Nigerians with nutritious food while championing environmental responsibility, it swapped the packaging of its iconic breakfast cereal brand, Golden Morn with a more sustainable packaging.
This action is aligned with the company’s global recycling vision. The new packaging is a reflection of its pledge to ensure that more than 95% of its plastic packaging is recyclable by 2025. Crafted with sustainability at its core, the packaging utilizes materials that are easier to recycle, thereby reducing environmental impact and promoting a circular economy.
Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria better captured the company’s vision when he stated, “At Nestlé, our responsibility, in addition to delivering nutritious products, also includes safeguarding our planet for future generations.
“Today, over 80% of all Nestlé’s packaging in Nigeria is optimized for recycling and we are happy that Golden Morn’s packaging has been upgraded to a designed for recycling laminate from the previous aluminum foil packaging. By embracing recyclable materials, we are not only minimizing waste but also reinforcing our leadership in environmental stewardship within the industry.”
Corroborating, Omofasa Orhiunu, Category Manager, Dairy had added, “Golden Morn is more than just a breakfast cereal; it’s a brand driven by purpose, dedicated to nourishing families across Nigeria while protecting the planet for the next generation. As we introduce our new sustainable packaging, we remain committed to delivering the same great taste and nutrition that Nigerians have trusted for over 38 years.”
Relatedly, the company has also introduced eco-friendly packaging solutions, such as recyclable paper packaging. According to Kayode Adewale, Nestlé’s Packaging Manager, one of the ways Nestlé ensures the preservation of the environment is its plastic neutrality. He had revealed that Nestlé remains committed to designing plastic packaging for recycling and reuseables 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 Nescafe Ready-to-drink (RTD) straw from plastic to paper.
Victoria Uwadoka is Nestle Nigeria’s Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead. In response to questions on this repackaging move, she said 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.
‘Building’ A Generation Of Environmental Stewards One Child At A Time
The Bantus of southern Africa have a famous proverb in Chichewa language that says; “M’mera mpoyamba.” This literally translates to catch them while they are young. The saying shows the importance of a child’s formative years and how whatever happens at this early stage has a bearing in a child’s later years. Nestle Nigeria has embodied this saying in action as it has trained over 8,000 children on healthy nutrition, active lifestyles, hygiene, and sustainability under Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) every year, and 2024 is not an exception.
N4HK is Nestlé’s global flagship initiative which aims to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030 by promoting healthier choices and providing children with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions which contributes to creating a more sustainable future for everyone. At the closing ceremony of the Sustainability Training for Kids in Lagos State in partnership with the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI), Nestlé Nigeria announced the extension of N4HK to the state this year, starting with 137 children who participated in the sustainability training across five primary schools within Ilupeju.
On this, Uwadoka has been quoted in the media to say, “by instilling a sense of environmental responsibility at an early age, we are nurturing a generation that will actively contribute to a more sustainable future. We recognize the collaboration of our Partners, the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) and Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) for their unwavering commitment to raising a healthier generation.”
Sustainable Recycling
For years, Nestlé Nigeria has been working to reduce plastic waste by partnering with local organizations to collect and recycle plastic waste. It has had these partnerships with such bodies as Wecyclers among others.
In fact, last year, Nestlé Nigeria introduced new bottles including fifty percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) effectively reducing the use of virgin plastics in its packaging by 50% for it’s bottled water brand, Pure Life. This milestone in the company’s journey towards 100% plastics neutrality also ensures the last mile for plastics circularity.
On that journey towards plastics neutrality and the significance of 50% rPET inclusion in the Nestlé Pure Life bottles, Elhusseini, had said, “Since 2018, Nestlé Nigeria has been working with partners to recover as much plastic as we sell, based on a “one tonne in, one tonne out” principle. In 2021, we started on the step by teaming up with ALEF, to achieve our objective of cutting virgin plastic in our packaging by a third by 2025. Today, we are very proud to be the first to achieve this milestone of 50% rPET inclusion in our water bottles in Nigeria, thanks to the resilience of our team working with ALEF to produce food grade rPET in Nigeria.”
Responsible Water Management
Over the last three years, the Nestle Nigeria has achieved reductions of 48,898 m3 in water usage, demonstrating its dedication to sustainable water stewardship.
Speaking on the company’s stride on this at this year’s World Water Day 2024 with the theme “Water for Peace,” at an event organized at the instance of Nestlé Nigeria, the Ogun State Government, and the Ogun-Osun Water Basin Authority to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation and responsible water management practices, Uwadoka had said, Nestlé is committed to taking action to protect water resources for today and for future generations.
Indeed, Nestlé Nigeria works closely with communities closest to their operations to improve access to clean and safe water through sustainable water projects such as the construction of water infrastructure and the establishment of community boreholes. As part of the collaboration with the Ogun State Government, Nestlé Nigeria had committed to further expanding its efforts to promote sustainable water practices. The partnership will focus on raising awareness about water conservation, educating communities about responsible water usage, and implementing initiatives to improve water access and quality.