Brands incorporating environmental responsibility for sustainable future
By Felicia Nwosu
For every people-centric brand, sustainability remains the lifeline, and it begins with the consumers. In today’s world, consumers are confronted with numerous environmental challenges posed by the same brands they consume during the production process. It is, therefore, imperative to develop solutions that will not compromise future needs yet meet the needs of the present through recycling, recovery and reuse, safe work initiatives, and other strategies that can help to reduce environmental waste for the benefit of the planet and the people.
As the world marked this year’s World Environment Day, MARKETING EDGE takes a look at various initiatives taken by leading brands over the years in protecting the planet while they serve their teeming consumers.
Nestle
With the quest to touch billions of lives daily and with an eco-friendly system in focus, Nestle through the expansion of its various product lines and extension, has helped to shape a better and healthier world for individuals and families with quality research and product extension.
The world’s largest food & Beverage Company across the continent has fulfilled its brand promise and purpose with renewed vigor in enhancing quality of life by tackling the plastics situation as an urgent priority which requires multi-sector collaboration. With growing concern about the quantity of plastic waste entering the natural environment, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wecyclers, to accelerate the process of recovering and recycling post-consumption plastic packaging waste in Lagos State.
Highlighting on Nestle’s role on the environment, Victoria Uwadoka, Head, Corporate Communication, Nestle Nigeria, noted that over the years, Nestlé is committed to working together with governments, NGOs and other private sector and industry stakeholders to develop a circular plastic economy, where plastic is collected, recycled and reused efficiently.
“We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. We envision a future without waste, and this means not only increasing plastic recycling but also identifying alternatives, whether in the form of delivery systems or materials. We are eliminating unnecessary packaging and phasing out materials that are not recyclable or are hard to recycle.
“At Nestlé, we recognize the growing challenge and the collective responsibility to manage the world’s resources for future generations. We have come together with other industry players to form the Food & Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) which is committed to promoting the sustainability of our environment by driving a self-regulatory post-consumer packaging waste recovery within the food and beverage sector.”
MTN Nigeria
For the leading brand, sustainability is embedded in its core business strategy. The brand understands that sustainability in industry seeks to use business as a tool and an enabler to address the effect of business on the environment and society while creating economic value. It has also expressed its concern that climate action is imperative to secure future socio economic development in Africa, by making progress on multiple fronts, and recognizing its role in addressing critical issues that affect the planet where its consumers live as well as its own existence.
The network giant noted that environmental resources are common goods that must be managed sustainably for the benefit of all people. To protect the ecosystem, it has installed 10 485 alternative energy sites in 2021, of which 3 005 are solar and in 2020, 8 396 alternative energy sites of which 2 435 were solar were also installed. This is to ensure that there is planet reduction of ~16% in GHG emissions (targeting 47% reduction by 2030 and Net Zero by 2040).
“At MTN Nigeria, we believe in making a difference in the lives of the people we serve, the communities in which we operate and the environment that provides us with the needed resources to meet our business goals. To this effect, we have aligned our efforts with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and are focused on contributing to the attainment of the agenda’s goals and targets that correlate with our business objectives by 2030. In achieving the objective of making lives brighter, we formed partnerships and actively collaborated with different stakeholder groups to identify and establish effective and sustainable initiatives to improve the lives of individuals and the society at large, whilst significantly reducing potential negative impacts from our operations. Our active collaborations and partnerships has enabled us to invest in our communities, support local and global efforts aimed at preserving the environment, and create economic prosperity for all.”
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, in its quest for an eco-friendly environment has embarked in various initiatives to ensure the safety of its consumers and its existence. The leading beverage company has partnered with W.A.S.T.E AFRICA to launch its novel “Cash 4 trash” initiative in 5 communities across Abuja, FCT. This bold initiative is targeted at promoting a waste-free world through waste recovery, recycling, and economic development.
The company stated that, “A greener environment remains a priority area for Coca-Cola as evidenced by the numerous initiatives launched and supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation. The Cash 4 Trash initiative presents an opportunity for us to ensure a reduced carbon footprint across Nigeria and an improved attitude towards waste management.”
Also, in a bid to sustain a strategy to foster a “World Without Waste”, The Coca-Cola Foundation as well had a partnership with Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) as part of its mission to zero plastic initiative in Kwara State.
Today’s brands must realise that today’s consumer is seeking for an all-round value, and therefore, must include environmental health, safety and social obligations as part of its offerings in a continually changing consumer world.
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