By Lukman Ayobami Ishau
Over the years, it has become increasingly imperative for organizations to comprehend the impact of their activities and sustainability efforts on the future of their businesses.
This explains why many CEOs say that sustainability is fundamental for success. This is also evident in the attention serious companies globally are putting toward their sustainability strategies.
Regrettably, the communication marketplace has been losing the battle to maintain the sanctity of the sustainability concept as brands, companies, and players throw the word around without the energy to guide it for remarkable impact.
In 1994, John Elkington coined the term “triple bottom line,” which ushered in a new way of thinking about the stakeholders of a business. The term helped establish the environmental, social, and economic value as the main considerations a business should look at to become truly sustainable. In other words, profits, people, and planet should be factored into each decision a business makes.
Thus, Sustainability needs to form the basis for future-oriented management and long-term success in our society. Therefore, it has become imperative for corporate organizations in the country to take the business of a sustainable environment and social responsibilities seriously with a long-term view that would benefit the next generations.
NIGERIA’S POOR PERFORMANCE
Looking at the Sustainability Development Goals Index (SDG) where Nigeria ranks 159th among 162 countries, it appears that the country has not been making adequate plans for a better and sustainable future for its citizens.
The country is clearly behind in areas like Zero Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work, and Economic Growth.
Just like the words of popular Chinese writer and author, Chai Jing: “The strongest governments on earth cannot clean up pollution by themselves. They must rely on each ordinary person, like you and me, on our choices, and our will.” It depends on every hand- government, companies, brands, individual players, and institutions to drive the sustainability messages home.
A CHALLENGE FOR ALL
There is a growing consciousness in Nigeria that brands have become powerful instruments of sustainable change. They are tightly connected with consumers all over the world and profoundly incorporated into their everyday lives and the choices they make. Consumers indicate with brands they love and strongly advocate the ideas that are embedded in their philosophy and image.
Consequently, companies and organizations that own successful brands, which are followed by large groups of loyal consumers, have the power to generate modification and even complete shifts in consumers’ lifestyles, value systems, attitudes, and behavior.
Accordingly, businesses that wish to remain relevant in the future must make sustainable marketing an inevitable element of their strategy, given that its implementation requires changes that will trigger mass rather than individual patronage in the future.
Today, businesses are creating a sustainable world by churning out eco-friendly products and initiatives that are impacting their society. There are doing this bearing in mind that environmental sustainability offers the opportunity to integrate comprehensive sustainability targets and programmes into business strategies and corporate responsibility programmes.
They are also supporting initiatives that are around protecting the environment and making the world a better place like embracing “green” initiatives. Apart from this, they are also infusing, three “Ps” of sustainability-People, planet, and profit into their operations.
They are invariably leveraging on the “Ps” to build a sustainable business considering that having the right business model and responding to environmental issues such as climate change and other issues will help in accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A United Nations report on “The Climate Crisis” affirmed that no part of the earth is untouched by the effect of human activities or pollution. Natural resources are depleted at an alarming rate and are also contaminated with toxic chemicals, making sustainability for future generations a mind-boggling issue.
Therefore, it has become imperative that all hands are on deck to preserve our planet and consciously combat the alarming rate of anthropogenic activities. This informs the Sustainable Development Goals on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); sustainable cities and communities (SGD 11); and SDG 12 – responsible production and consumption.
It is the need of the hour that brands, organisations, communities, governments, individuals, and all stakeholders implement key policies geared towards a sustainable planet and future.
NESTLE IMPACTS
As a responsible corporate citizen, Nestle, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, has been committed to sustainability and environmental conservation over the years. In Nigeria and around the world, Nestle has taken significant steps towards promoting green energy, renewable energy, and a sustainable environment.
One of the ways that Nestle is promoting a sustainable environment is by reducing its carbon footprint. In Nigeria, the company has invested in renewable energy sources such as solar panels, biomass boilers, and waste-to-energy solutions to power its factories. By using these sustainable energy sources, Nestle is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and lowering its greenhouse gas emissions.
Expanding these goals at a media training/facility tour organized for the media, Corporate Communications, and Public Affairs Manager at Nestle, Victoria Uwadoka said, Nestle’s vision is hinged on four key targets; Climate activities, Sustainable packaging, Sustainable sourcing, and Caring for the water.
He words: “We want Nestle to be around for a very long time, to stay in the environment and continue in the environment, and that is why we are seriously in support of sustainability- to sustain us, sustain our children and our children’s children.
“We have taken serious commitment and are conscious about our commitment- what we are saying is we don’t want any of the waste, be it plastic, paper, or any other material to end up in the landfill, waterways, gutters, rivers or the oceans- we want them to be managed sustainably,” Victoria said.
Indeed, keen observers will note that Nestle has implemented various sustainability initiatives to promote green energy and renewable energy. For example, the company has set a target to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, Nestle is investing masively in renewable energy projects. The company is also improving the energy efficiency of its operations.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Furthermore, Nestle is committed to reducing waste and increasing recycling worldwide. In Nigeria, Nestle is working to reduce plastic waste by partnering with local organizations to collect and recycle plastic waste. The company has also introduced eco-friendly packaging solutions, such as recyclable paper packaging, to reduce its environmental impact.
According to Kayode Adewale, Nestle’s Packaging Manager, one of the ways Nestle ensures the preservation of the environment is its plastic neutrality. He said the company remains committed to designing of plastic packaging for recycling and reuseables and by reducing plastic use to paper because the ecosystem is a little more mature for the paper than the plastic which is why it changed the Milo and Nescafe Ready-to-drink (RTD) straw from plastic to paper.
In response to a question on Nestle’s plastic neutrality target, Victoria Uwadoka said the company has a minimum of 80% target by 2025, and already it has attained 45% mark.
“Our plastic neutrality target is to have a minimum of 80% by 2025, and for different type of plastic we are at different percentage. In Nigeria, we have a good ecosystem for recycling pet bottles then we have a higher percentage for flexibles, much lower percentage than that, for multilayer plastics lower than that because these are the ecosystems that are relatively grown. Our challenge with it is, what do you do with it when you collect them? Who will use it after that?
“In the case of pet bottles for example, we have partners who are already transforming and using it for different things, on the average calculating all the plastics we are about 45%, with our target being 80% minimum by 2025.
TRAINING AND SAFETY STANDARDS
“Nestle has a community of people and some of the initiatives we drive, we do not do it alone, we work with sister companies and also work with MAN to ensure that we are sharing safe standards. For example, we are working towards zero waste and working with organizations within our community so, we are actively involved with MAN, NECA among others.
“We are helping to create more awareness and to educate children and also have training for journalists and other people within the ecosystem. We are doing all of these because we know that, if you do not have any information, you do not stand any chance. When you are in Nestle you see that our mannerism will change but if you visit other companies you might see that we are all working together on the same journey,” Uwadoka noted.
Nestle is also focused on promoting sustainable agriculture practices. The company works with farmers to promote sustainable farming techniques that reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, conserve water, and promote biodiversity. These practices not only help to protect the environment but also ensure a sustainable supply of high-quality raw materials for Nestle’s products.
Nestle is really taking significant steps to promote green energy, renewable energy, and a sustainable environment in Nigeria and around the world. Through its investments in renewable energy, waste reduction, sustainable agriculture, and eco-friendly packaging, the company is demonstrating its commitment to building a cleaner and safer world.
