Environmental regulatory agencies in Nigeria have commended Nestle Nigeria, a food and beverages company, for adopting recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) recycling technology to repurpose waste plastics in the manufacturing of its table water.
The company is now the first in Nigeria to embrace this technology, aligning with global standards and resulting in a 50% reduction in virgin plastics used for its bottled table water.
The company said reducing the use of virgin plastic is targeted at mitigating global warming and promoting environmental sustainability.
During the unveiling of the recycled bottle in Abuja on Wednesday, the Director of the Chemicals, Non-Petrochemical Development Department at the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment commended Nestle, Onuoha Francis noted that the development aligns with the Ministry’s belief that the most effective method of waste management is through recycling.
He emphasized, however, that to achieve this goal, each production facility must incorporate in-house recycling facilities, adding that the approach would not only reduce waste but also contribute to the country’s economy by transforming waste into a valuable resource.
Saying that other producers are yet to adopt the rPET technology, Francis said the Ministry is considering the formulation of a policy drive, even though the lack of capacity for the technology in the industry is currently a barrier.
While he noted that though other producers have not yet embraced rPET technology, Francis disclosed that the Ministry is contemplating a policy initiative, even as the industry’s lack of capacity to adopt the technology is an issue.
However, he asserted that the Ministry will persist in monitoring developments in the sun sector, while emphasizing that the solution to plastic waste lies not in banning it but in promoting recycling due to its implications on the economy.
He revealed that the Ministry has been on a nationwide awareness campaign to stakeholders on the plastic waste value chain
The representative of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said the recycled bottle passed Corrective Action and Preventive Action (CAPA) tests carried out on it.
While assuring Nigerians of the safety of the recycled bottle, the agency offered further support wherever necessary and needed.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) commended Nestle for adopting sustainable packaging solutions and reducing reliance on a single plastic use practice.
Noting that Nestle has set a commendable standard in the food and beverage sector to emulate, NESREA urged the company to adopt the same standards for other products in its line.
Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) also commended Nestle for the feat.
Earlier, Nestle’s Managing Director (MD), Wassim Elhusseini, said the company made a global commitment in 2018 to ensure that none of its packaging, including plastics ends up in landfills, oceans, lakes, and rivers and to make as much of its packaging as is possible recyclable or reusable by 2025.
She said since then, the company has been working with partners to recover as many plastics as we sell based on ‘one tonne-in-one tonne-out’ principle.
Represented by Nestle’s Uwadoka Victoria, the Corporate Communications, Public Affairs & Sustainability Lead, the MD said the partnership, by 2022 moved to the next object of cutting the use of virgin plastics in the company’s packaging by a third by 2025.
Saying that the company is proud to be the first in Nigeria to achieve the milestone of 50 percent rPET that effectively reduces the use of virgin plastics in its packaging by 50 percent, Elhusseini added, “Nestlé Nigeria has been at the forefront of efforts to develop well-functioning collection, sorting, and recycling systems for PET in Nigeria, from the introduction of innovative bottles to collaborating with other stakeholders for increased collection while building an eco-system for recycling$”.
The MD also commended the regulatory agencies – NESREA, SON, and NAFDAC for ensuring compliance to the highest standards.
The old bottle is expected to be completely phased out in about three months.
