Stakeholders from Nigeria’s food and beverages discuss sustainable packaging, impacts

In celebration of World Environment Day, stakeholders across the nation’s food and beverages sector, have highlighted the importance of a circular economy, policies and their impacts on the nation’s environmental sustainability.

The event, which featured stakeholders from Tetra Pak West Africa, and Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), also provided the opportunity for the stakeholders to identify some of the challenges facing the industry, and proffer solutions to the environmental sustainability in Nigeria.

They noted that with the huge units of packaging, running into millions, being presently consumed by Nigerians, there is an imminent environmental crisis on packaging format pollution, noting that, if not recycled, the longer various packaging formats disintegration could damage vital ecosystems, undermine the country’s well-being and pose a threat to the health of the people.

Speaking on the importance of sustainability, Marketing and Portfolio Director for Tetra Pak West Africa, Clement Sunday, reiterated that it is necessary for everyone to be involved in climate change to ensure a sustainable environment for all.

“At Tetra Pak, we are working on building the circular economy in Nigeria and helping to close the loop. So, we are working together with our partners, first to raise awareness, to let people know that beverage cartons are recyclable,” he stated.

The Executive Director, Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), AghareseOnaghise, detailed FBRA’s remarkable growth since its inception in 2018, in the area of environmental policies.

The Alliance, Onaghise stated, has expanded its membership from 4 PET-centric companies to 34, with a wider range of packaging materials like flexible plastics, cartons, glass, and aluminium cans.

“This diversification has resulted in a significant increase in collection rates across six waste streams, exceeding 75,000 metric tonnes of recyclables collected in total,” Onaghise added.

Head Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Lead Sustainability, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Victoria Uwadoka also highlighted the company’s commitment to promoting a circular economy for PET in Nigeria, by increasing collection rates and creating a robust recycling setup.

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