Nestle Boosts Environmental Sustainability, Introduces 50% Recycled PET Bottles

In line with it’s commitment to boost environmental sustainability, Nestlé Nigeria has introduced new bottles of Pure Life water including 50  per cent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), effectively reducing the use of virgin plastics in its packaging by 50 per cent.

This milestone in the company’s journey towards 100 per cent plastics neutrality also ensures the last mile for plastics circularity.

Speaking on the journey towards plastics neutrality and the significance of 50 per cent rPET inclusion in the Nestlé Pure Life bottles,  managing director/CEO of Nestlé Nigeria Plc Wassim Elhusseini, said, “Since 2018, Nestlé Nigeria has been working with partners to recover as much plastic as we sell, based on a “one tonne in, one tonne out” principle. In 2021, we started on the step by teaming up with ALEF, to achieve our objective of cutting virgin plastic in our packaging by a third by 2025.

Speaking at the official unveiling of 50 per cent rPET Nestle Pure Life bottled water in Abuja, on Wednesday, Elhusseini said, “We are very proud to be the first to achieve this milestone of 50 per cent rPET inclusion in our water bottles in Nigeria, thanks to the resilience of our team working with ALEF to produce food grade PET in Nigeria, I also recognise and commend the regulatory agencies – NESREA, SON and NAFDAC who have ensured compliance to the highest standards.”

The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, and other government agencies lauded Nestle Nigeria Plc for the introduction of new bottles, including recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), effectively reducing the use of virgin plastics by 50 per cent.

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The stakeholders believe that the inclusion of the 50 per cent rPET in Nestle’s Pure Life bottles is a bold step by the company towards tackling environmental pollution posed by plastic bottles in the country.

The minister, who was represented at the official presentation of the new Nestlé Pure Life bottles in Abuja, by the Director for Chemical and Non-Petrochemical Department, Francis Onuorah, said the nation’s industrial policy emphasises recycling as an alternative to the environmental challenges posed by plastic bottles

She noted that the Nigerian economy is heavy on oil and gas in terms of petrochemicals and in terms of plastics, adding that when the world is saying phase out plastics or phase out oil vis-a-vis COP28, the importance of oil in the economy should not be underestimated.

Nestlé Nigeria has been at the forefront of efforts to develop well-functioning collection,

sorting and recycling systems for PET in Nigeria, from the introduction of innovative bottles to collaborating with other stakeholders for increased collection while building an eco-system for recycling. ALEF was instrumental to achieving the 50 per cent rPET in Nestlé Pure Life bottles.

Also speaking managing director of ALEF Recycling Company said, Wissam Ramlawi, said, “This has been a long, rigorous journey for us, working with Nestlé’s technical and quality assurance teams to comply with Nestle’s very demanding standards and procedures. We also had the pleasure of working with regulators and our suppliers to achieve the desired food-grade quality standards for rPET”.

For Nestlé Pure Life, achieving 50 per cent rPET in the bottles aligns with the brand’s purpose.

The category and marketing manager, Nestlé Waters, Joy Abdulahi- Johnson said,

“Because of our dedication to rigorous safety processes for all our products, it has taken almost two years of painstaking diligence to launch the new rPET bottle. In addition to consumer safety, we are always taking steps to minimise the impact of our production process on the environment. This launch could not have come at a better time as we are also introducing the new global identity for Nestlé Pure Life. As a brand, we are evolving for good.”

In his remark, the minister for environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal said, we commend strategies that support environmental sustainability, reduce already huge strain on natural resources while building local economies.

Nestlé is committed to increasing the amount of PET it uses across its brands globally. In Nigeria, it is the first to achieve rPET inclusion in its Water brand.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a type of resin and a form of polyester; it is commonly labelled with the code on or near the bottom of bottles and other containers. PET has some important characteristics, such as its strength, thermostability, gas barrier properties,, and transparency.

rPET is recycled polyethylene terephthalate. It is made of recycled PET that can come from either post-consumer or post-industrial sources.

The attainment of 50 per cent rPET in its water bottles is, therefore, an important milestone in line with Nestlé’s commitments to a safe environment.