Adoption of a positive attitude to the environmental by individuals and corporate organisations in Nigeria will improve the health of the citizens and consequently reduce pressure on government finances, says Arjan Mirchandani, the chairman of Sona Group.
Throwing his weight behind environmental conservation for businesses and human continuous existence, a topic that is generating interest in the recent times, Mirchandani said environmental sustainability is a collective effort.
He spoke in Lagos recently at the opening of the 2019 packaging, plastics, food processing, labelling and print exhibition organised by Afrocet Montgomery with the theme ‘Sustainability in manufacturing’. The exhibition had about 200 brands from over 40 countries in attendance.
Stressing that environmental sustainability had become a central issue globally and Nigeria should not be left out, Mirchandani said the government had a big role to play in policymaking to achieve the course.
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“When some policies and directions are made for environmental sustainability, then people will follow. It is the government that will make policies to enthrone discipline,” he said.
He noted that some state governments were doing a lot but more requires to be done.
Mirchandani whose group has recycling plants enjoined Nigerians and manufacturers to be responsible to achieve ‘green great Nigeria’.
In his presentation, William Eze of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) also demanded for collaboration among the government, private sector and individuals to rid the environment of plastic and other wastes towards conserving the environment.
Assessing the packaging industry, central part of the exhibition, Eze said “Packaging and branding have become central to marketing tools both in the domestic and export market”.
Stating that consumer demands had heightened the need to understand packaging, Eze said some Nigerian products destined for export had faced with poor packaging which resulted in rejection. “A recent report said 30% export to the US is rejected due to poor packaging and labelling, and not the quality of the product.”
