“We’re committed to environmental sustainability,” – Nestlé Nigeria .

In Nigeria where we have a nascent waste collection system, poorly managed waste ends

up in waterways and clogs drainages, 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.

The World Clean-Up Day commemorated annually in September, provides a platform for

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 clean-up, sensitization and advocacy on Environmental

Sustainability.

This year, over 400 Nestlé employees joined the campaign by visiting twelve markets

across the country. The clean-up 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.

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 aggravate 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 clean-up exercises are one

of the ways we have sustained our efforts of improving our environment over the past 5
years.”

According to Dr Alexander Akhigbe, Founder/CEO African Clean-Up Initiative,

“Participating in clean-up 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. For this year’s exercise, we ensured the proper

management of over 6,660kg of solid waste and 79kg of recyclables collected across all

the locations, so that they do not end up back in the environment. We are honored to be

working with Nestlé Nigeria as her implementing partners for this year’s event”.

Comrade Aremu Komolafe, member of the Ojuwoye market committee in Mushin, Lagos

State expressed his pleasure with volunteers from Nestlé Nigeria who joined the traders

and market leaders to clean up the popular market in South-West Nigeria. According to

him, with the significant amount of waste generated daily due to large number of visitors

and traders buying and selling, the burden of keeping the market clean is huge. To

mitigate the situation, every Thursdays is designated by the Lagos State government for

market clean-up and sensitization of shop and stall owners on the need for proper waste

disposal. He said that the cleanup initiative by Nestlé Nigeria will support these

environmental sanitation efforts.

Nestlé Nigeria is a leading member of the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA),

an Industry collaboration aimed at driving post consumption waste management and

recycling. Volunteers from the company also joined the FBRA led clean-up initiatives for

the World Clean-Up Day.

Through the Nestlé Cares platform, employees have the opportunity to give back to the

society, impacting individuals and families, communities and the environment, by

volunteering their time, resources and talents.

The company says it will continue to play her part to ensure a cleaner and healthier

environment across her operating locations, helping to create a more sustainable world.