Nestlé Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability through its sixth annual clean-up and community sensitisation campaign, held in partnership with the African Clean-Up Initiative (ACI) and local authorities across 11 Nigerian cities.
The campaign mobilised 516 Nestlé Cares volunteers drawn from the company’s head office, regional branches, and factories. Volunteers carried out clean-up activities in major markets, including Lagos’ Oke-Arin Market, Abuja’s Utako Market, Abubakar Rimi Market in Kano, Mile 3 Market in Port Harcourt, and several others. These locations were strategically selected based on their waste burden and high community traffic.
A total of 5,601 kilograms of solid waste and 379.2 kilograms of recyclable materials were removed, underscoring the tangible environmental impact of the initiative.
Speaking at the Lagos activation, Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications and Sustainability Lead at Nestlé Nigeria, linked the campaign to this year’s World Environment Day theme, “Curbing Plastic Pollution.” She highlighted Nestlé’s broader waste-reduction strategy, which includes partnerships with recyclers like Wecyclers, Chanja Datti, and Alef Recycling, and participation in the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA).
“Our Employee Plastics Collection Scheme (EPCS), launched in 2022, has helped divert nearly 6,000 kg of plastic waste from landfills,” Uwadoka said. “Since 2019, Nestlé Nigeria has retrieved over 61,000 metric tons of plastic from the environment.”
Dr. Alex Akhigbe, founder of ACI, described the campaign as more than a clean-up exercise. “This is a sustainability movement grounded in collective responsibility and the circular economy,” he said. “Each action taken — every plastic bottle collected, every awareness conversation — contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship.”
The campaign reflects Nestlé Nigeria’s integrated approach to sustainability, combining corporate accountability with grassroots participation to address the escalating challenge of plastic pollution.
