In the past year, Nestlé Nigeria has turned its sustainability ambitions into tangible impact, forging an environmental legacy that blends community action, circular-economy innovation and deep commitments to waste-free production. In 2024 the company achieved a landmark by incorporating 50 % recycled PET (rPET) into its flagship water brand and attaining full plastics-neutral status; meaning every ton of plastic it placed on the market was recovered for recycling.
But Nestlé Nigeria didn’t stop at packaging. In 2025 it mobilised 516 volunteers across 11 major cities in a nationwide clean-up campaign, removing over 5,600 kg of solid waste and nearly 380 kg of recyclable material from high-foot-traffic markets in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and beyond. At the launch, Victoria Uwadoka, Lead of Corporate Communications & Sustainability, 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.”
Simultaneously, Nestlé Nigeria recognised that sustainability is not just about materials but about people. A pioneering Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) training programme for 100 plastic-waste collectors across Lagos and Abuja elevated frontline sanitation workers into agents of the circular economy; equipping them with protective gear, training in safe handling of recyclables and dignity in the value chain. “We are committed to building a waste-free future and supporting essential workers in Nigeria’s circular economy,” Uwadoka affirmed.
Through these efforts, Nestlé Nigeria is reshaping what corporate sustainability means in Africa; not just invisible targets in annual reports, but visible street-level change, jobs empowered and waste streams reversed. In international terms, the company’s parent group achieved a 21.3 % reduction in virgin plastic use and a 20.4 % cut in greenhouse-gas emissions compared to the 2018 baseline.
What emerges is a story of transformation: from cereal wrappers and water bottles to entire value chains rewired; from single-day campaigns to year-round movements; and from talk of circular economy to the reality of front-line workers in Lagos, markets cleared of waste, and packaging built with purpose. As Nigeria grapples with youth unemployment, plastic pollution and climate risk, Nestlé Nigeria is showing how a global brand can localise its sustainability commitment and leave a green footprint that matters.
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