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Food & Beverage Manufacturers Demonstrate Commitment to Cleaner Environment
The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), the Producer
Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the food and beverage sector, has
affirmed its commitment to cleaner environment with plans to embark on a
clean-up exercise on used post-consumer waste at the Arena market in Oshodi,
Lagos along with its collection partner Recycle Points.
The activity, which will take place on September 14, is in commemoration of
the annual World Clean-up Day, which falls on September 15.
During the exercise, which is also aimed at intensifying awareness on
environmental pollution, volunteered staff from members of the Alliance will be
engaged in cleaning of refuse sites, walkways and drainages filled with post-
consumer waste at the market.
This is another demonstration of its commitment to a cleaner environment after
the recently signed memorandum of understanding with Ministry of Transport
and Environment, Lagos State to rid the waterways of plastic waste.
The Alliance consists of Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, The Coca-Cola
Company Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Seven-Up Bottling Company
Limited and Nestle Nigeria Plc.
The not-for-profit organisation has been adhering to the Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) policy of the Federal Government, which transfers
significant responsibility to producers for the entire life-cycle of their products,
especially at the post-consumer stages.
The clean-up programme would be used to canvass crucial issues relating to
proper disposal and recycling, healthy lifestyle and other measures aimed at
curbing environmental pollution. FBRA is calling for sectoral action under the
platform of a PRO to ensure that companies collectively engage in the recycling
of their packaging wastes to demonstrate its shared concern for a cleaner and
healthier society.
It pointed out that through PRO, companies can pool resources together to
develop and fund a robust buyback scheme that could attract investors in
recycling infrastructure. FBRA believes that this strategy will attract investment
in research and development of new packaging process with little or no effect
on the environment, as well as alternative uses for their packaging wastes.
Founded in 2013, FBRA has received commendation from the National
Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the
environmental regulator, for progresses made towards EPR enforcement.
