’42 Tonnes Plastic Waste Recovered From Coastal Communities In Lagos’

More than 42 tonnes of plastic waste were recovered from coastal communities, ocean fronts and beach clean up exercise in Lagos in 2025 as part of Rite Foods environmental sustainability initiative aimed at tackling plastic pollution and promoting cleaner shorelines.

This achievement was revealed by Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Rite Foods Limited, Ekuma Eze who made the presentation of Rite foods 2025 Environmental and Sustainability Report, which highlighted significant progress across environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators compared to the previous year.

He stated that over 42 tonnes of plastic waste was recovered from coastal communities in Lagos and beach-fronts during the mopping up exercise of plastic waste by the environmental sustainability team who joined partnerships with Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA).

According to the company, the plastic waste recovery exercise was carried out under its initiative and campaign programmes tagged the “Plastic July” even as the programme focus on cleaning beaches and coastal communities across Lagos while encouraging responsible waste management.

Beyond the coastal clean-up campaign, the company said its collaboration with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) resulted in the recovery of more than 800 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment during the year. Of this volume, the company accounted for 558.2 tonnes of plastics collected through the industry’s Producer Responsibility Organisation.

The recovered plastics were also converted into useful products as part of the company’s circular economy initiative. It disclosed that recycled plastics were transformed into school bags, which were distributed to more than 2,000 pupils across nine schools in Lagos State alongside exercise books.

The company said the initiative demonstrates that plastic waste can be converted into valuable products rather than ending up in landfills or waterways.

Speaking on its environmental performance, the company reported a five per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2024 and 2025. Total emissions fell from 567.5 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2024, while carbon intensity, measured in grams of carbon dioxide per litre of beverage produced, declined by 23 per cent year-on-year.

It reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 through sustained reductions in emissions and improved operational efficiency.

Water conservation also featured prominently in the report. The company said it reduced water consumption by 15 per cent between 2024 and 2025 through continuous monitoring of water-use ratios and improved operational practices.

Similarly, energy efficiency improved during the period, with energy use per litre of beverage produced dropping by seven per cent, from 0.44 megajoules per litre in 2024 to 0.41 megajoules in 2025.

The report also showed a 27 per cent reduction in solid waste generated per litre of beverage produced, declining from 10.6 grams in 2024 to 7.71 grams in 2025.

On the social sustainability front, the company increased its investment in community development programmes by 50 per cent, spending ₦581.92 million in 2025.

The investments supported education, healthcare, women empowerment, community welfare and employee development initiatives.

Among the projects highlighted were the operation of a community learning centre that provides free meals to more than 400 pupils and teachers daily, distribution of free drinking water to essential workers during World Water Day activities, and contributions towards the construction and equipping of a trauma centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital through the chairman’s foundation.

The company also reported a 76 per cent increase in employee training and capacity-building programmes during the year, reflecting its commitment to workforce development.

Employment within host communities increased by 4.1 per cent, while the company’s overall workforce expanded by 6.1 per cent. It also launched a graduate trainee programme involving 20 young professionals.

According to the report, the company currently provides about 20,000 direct jobs and supports over 12,000 indirect jobs across its value chain through distributors, retailers, suppliers and logistics partners.

Speaking on corporate governance code, Ekuma Eze highlighted that Rite Foods company has a tight monitoring control of corporate governance code to mitigate risk and non-compliance to industry standards.

Ekuma Eze said “we have boards that tightens our controls such that enterprise risk is controlled”. “We have a tight control from the corporate governance board to avert fraud” and non-compliance to Industry standards.

On governance, the company said it continued to strengthen its internal controls, enterprise risk management framework and regulatory compliance systems to uphold high ethical standards and protect its corporate reputation.

It noted that integrity remains one of its core organisational values, with its board providing oversight to ensure compliance with applicable laws, effective risk management and robust internal control mechanisms.

The company said its 2025 Sustainability Report reflects its commitment to embedding sustainability into every aspect of its operations while creating lasting value for communities, the environment and other stakeholders.

This version removes the presentation fluffs, repetitions, and timestamps, while emphasizing the strongest news angle, the recovery of over 42 tonnes of plastic waste, and incorporates the key sustainability data in a standard newspaper style suitable for publication.