Guinness Nigeria Plc, the leading total beverage alcohol company in Nigeria has partnered with Wecyclers, a for-profit social enterprise that promotes environmental sustainability, socioeconomic development, and community health to support Guinness’ waste management agenda. The partnership is expected to, among other things, help support the implementation of Guinness Nigeria’s 4R waste management strategy, covering REDUCTION, REUSE, RECOVERY and RECYCLING, while addressing increasing local and global concerns around the environmental issues of waste disposal.
Mr. Peter Ndegwa, Managing Director/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc, stated that the partnership with Wecyclers is in line with Guinness Nigeria’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact across its operations and throughout its supply chain. He added that it is also in line with the Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.
“This partnership with Wecyclers is in line with our commitment to reduce our environmental footprint as well as join the global movement to advance sustainable development. Every year, at Guinness, we set ourselves stretched targets that will guide us as we work to reduce our impact on the environment. We also strive to increase our positive social impact by delivering transformational social investments in communities where we operate,” Ndegwa said.
Speaking at the MoU signing, Chief Executive Officer, Wecyclers, Mr. Olawale Adebiyi, stated that Wecyclers, aims to build a low-cost waste collection infrastructure while raising general awareness on the importance of recycling for environmental sustainability and social welfare. According to him, ‘’households are given a chance to generate value from their waste and provide a reliable supply of raw material to the local recycling industry’’. Partnerships with well-meaning organizations such as Guinness Nigeria Plc are a critical part of driving that agenda forward’’.
On her part, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Viola Graham-Douglas, stated “In the medium to long term, Guinness Nigeria has set targets as part of its2020 Sustainability & Responsibility commitments, comprising three key pillars: Leadership in Alcohol in Society, Building Thriving Communities and Reducing our Environmental Impact. Delivering on these goals is an integral part of our long term business strategy and our commitment to making a real difference in communities where Guinness Nigeria operates,”
She further stated that: “To this end, we have developed a sustainability strategy that will help us reduce our environmental impact while increasing our positive social impact in the society and this partnership will help us achieve our objectives. “
Wecyclers provides convenient recycling services in densely populated urban neighborhoods, with services that include the collection of waste products, such as, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), cans, bottles and other small formats from different locations across Lagos, thereby reducing the chances of them ending up as waste in the open environment.
Guinness Nigeria Plc plans to run this pilot successfully in Lagos and then extend the initiative to other states in Nigeria within the next two years.
