Nestlé Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability through an integrated approach to sustainability, merging operational accountability with grassroots engagement.
The company has deepened its nationwide clean-up and community sensitization campaign in the last six years as a model for how corporate actions can stimulate community-driven impact, reinforcing the shared responsibility to protect environmental resources today, and for future generations.
This annual clean-up campaign demonstrates Nestlé Nigeria’s broader sustainability agenda, driven largely by Nestlé Cares, the employee volunteering platform that reflects the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
Nestlé Cares empowers employees to make a positive impact in their local communities, through various projects that engage employees in community volunteerism. The initiative, executed in collaboration with the African Clean-Up Initiative (ACI) and local authorities, mobilized a total of 516 Nestlé Cares volunteers from the Nestlé head office, branch offices, and factories.
“At Nestlé, our commitment to fighting plastic waste is integral to our vision of a waste-free future. This vision encompasses internal accountability and proactive stakeholder engagement,” Victoria Uwadoka, lead, corporate communications, public affairs, and sustainability, Nestlé Nigeria, stated in aligning the initiative with the World Environment Day theme, ‘Curbing Plastic Pollution.’
She disclosed that Nestlé is supporting the advancement of circularity within the plastics value chain through strategic partnerships with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) and plastic waste recyclers such as Alef recycling, Wecyclers, Chanja Datti and Maladase Ecopreneurs Management Ltd.
“In addition, our Employee Plastics Collection Scheme (EPCS), launched in 2022, empowers our employees to take responsibility for their environmental impact by recycling their plastic waste. Through the EPCS, we have achieved diversion of 5,922 kg of plastic waste from landfills. Collectively, our initiatives have successfully retrieved over 61,000 metric tons of plastic from the environment since 2019,” Uwadoka stated.
She disclosed that Nestlé Nigeria deepens environmental stewardship with nationwide clean-up and community sensitization initiatives. Accordingly, the clean-up efforts spanned 11 cities, focusing on high-footfall market hubs.
The markets are Oke-Arin Market in Lagos, Utako Market in Abuja, Abubakar Rimi Market in Kano, Satellite Market in Jos, Sabo Market in Sagamu, Bodija Market in Ibadan, Okoko Market in Agbara, Abaji Market in Abaji, Holyghost Market in Enugu, Aguawka Market in Awka and Mile 3 Market in Port Harcourt.
According to Uwadoka, these locations were strategically selected based on their waste burden and community impact, resulting in the collective removal of 5,601 kilograms of solid and 379.2 kilograms of recyclable waste, highlighting the tangible results of corporate-community collaboration.
Alex Akhigbe, founder, African Clean-Up Initiative, stated that the broader vision driving the partnership is to inspire a generation that values and protects its planet. According to him, the initiative represents a sustainability movement grounded in the principles of collective responsibility, collaboration and the circular economy.
“The fight against plastic pollution requires deliberate action. Every bottle collected, every conversation initiated, contributes to shaping a culture of environmental consciousness,” Akhigbe stated.
