…as Nestlé deepens environmental stewardship with community sensitisation.
By Chris Onuoha
The 2025 edition of the World Environmental Day saw a serious convergence of environmental experts, concerned organisations and the general public in a global space to celebrate the recognition, the need and call to keep the ecosystem safe and clean from pollution.
This clarion call, previously initiated in 1973 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to be marked every June 5, has become symbolic of efforts related to safeguarding our environment.
And since its inception, millions of people globally participate in various community engagements, conferences and workshops to raise environmental awareness.
With the 2025 edition in focus, themed: “Ending Plastic Pollution: Together we can beat plastic pollution, let’s tackle it,” UNEP identified plastic pollution as a major threat to the planet, which impacts climate, biodiversity, and pollution.
This year’s theme unveiling, officially hosted by Republic of South Korea earlier, and aimed at stepping up the awareness and encouraging action to combat the scourge was very significant to affirm the purpose.
The theme raised lots of mind bogging negative consequences of the accumulation of the non degradable materials polluting nature’s ecosystem, with brainstorming sessions at various locations globally, on how to tackle the scourge and improve the world’s ecosystem.
In Nigeria, employees of Nestlé under the Nestlé Cares umbrella, during the event, stormed markets across major cities in the country to raise awareness on Plastics pollution while helping to clean the markets.
It was an impactful time of awareness and hands-on engagement with communities to drive commitment. The event was also marked by various State governments in the country including organisations and waste management agencies.
For the sixth consecutive year, Nestlé Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability through a nationwide clean-up and community sensitization campaign.
This 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.
The clean-up efforts spanned eleven cities, focusing on high-footfall market hubs such as 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.
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.
At the Lagos activation, Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka, Lead, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, and Sustainability at Nestlé Nigeria, emphasized the alignment of this initiative with the World Environment Day theme, “Curbing Plastic Pollution.”
In her remarks at the event, she said: “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.
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. (MECOM), we are supporting the advancement of circularity within the plastics value chain.
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 added.
Dr. Alex Akhigbe, Founder of the African Clean-Up Initiative, articulated the broader vision driving this partnership. He said: “This initiative transcends a mere clean-up, it 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. Our goal is to inspire a generation that values and protects our planet.”
This annual clean-up campaign demonstrates Nestlé Nigeria’s integrated approach to sustainability, merging operational accountability with grassroots engagement.
As the company progresses in its broader sustainability agenda, initiatives such as this serve 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.
However, much as corporate organisations, private individuals and UNEP strive to drive the programme deeper, public entity like government should not treat the drive with levity.
Sampling opinions from the public views, some said that it may be obvious that there are environmental laws by government guiding such initiative, but emphasis should be more focused on implementation and strict compliance.
For Engr. Cosmas Adeyemi, a civil engineer and an environmentalist, he said: “Humans, as we know, are super stubborn in non adherence to rules especially when it comes to do with public facilities, but strict compliance matched with regular routine check by enforcement agencies would help to drive it deeper in people’s heart.”
He noted that policies by government will not be enough, that State or local governments can initiate or reactivate sanitary police for that purpose, adding that such formation like the Sanitary Inspectors used in the past can be reestablished.
You may recall that Kenya implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2017, a landmark move in the fight against plastic pollution.
The East African country also expanded the ban to include single-use plastics in protected natural areas in 2020. The ban include the use, manufacture, and import of plastic bags for commercial and household packaging, with exceptions for specific items like garbage bin liners and medical waste.
It was reported that the ban carries strict penalties, including a four year jail term or a maximum fine of $38,000. According to reports, the ban however, has led to a significant decrease in the use of single-use plastic bags, with some reports indicating an eight percent (80%) reduction.
Maintaining clean ecosystem and curtailing plastic pollution should go beyond rhetoric. It must be matched with action and consistency.