A subsidiary of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Vitapur Nigeria Limited, has restated its commitment to sustainable development in the manufacturing industry with the launch of its innovation hub that will produce ozone-friendly polyurethane for rigid foam manufacturing.
This initiative, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to phase out ozone-depleting substances and promote sustainable practices in the industry.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas highlighted that under Stage I of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) Project, the Ministry, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), facilitated the upgrade of Vitapur’s system house.
“This upgrade supports the formulation of a climate-friendly methyl formate-based pre-blended polyol, serving as an alternative to the ozone-depleting HCFC-141b-based polyols traditionally used in rigid polyurethane foam production,” he stated.
The minister stated that the successful implementation of the project included the provision of trial chemicals, equipment, and accessories such as blending tanks, smoke detectors, sounders/flashers, electrical control panel accessories, and the enhancement of Vitapur’s laboratory with new furniture and advanced equipment like flash point testers, titrators, and k-value testers.
“With this project now completed, Vitapur has entirely phased out the use of ozone-depleting HCFC-141b in its operations. Moreover, it will also support downstream end-users in transitioning away from HCFC-141b in their rigid foam production,” Abbas stated.
He further explained that, the initiative had resulted in the phase-out of 301.32 metric tons of HCFC-141b in the rigid polyurethane foam sector, aligning with Nigeria’s obligations under the Montreal Protocol’s HPMP framework.
Abbas revealed that, the Vitapur project was one of only two of its kind in Africa, with the other located in South Africa.
Speaking on the broader impact, he said, the optimised system house would ensure a steady supply of ozone-friendly, low-global-warming-potential polyol chemicals for the production of rigid foam products.
According to him, this will help sustain Nigeria’s compliance with the Montreal Protocol and contribute to the growth of green jobs and environmental responsibility within the local industry. He also mentioned the potential for increased foreign exchange earnings through international demand for Vitapur’s environmentally friendly.
Chairman of Vitafoam Nigeria, Zakari Sada, emphasised that the project demonstrated the value of collaboration between industry stakeholders, international organisations like the UNDP, and the Nigerian government.
Sada urged the minister to support policies that encourage private sector investment in sandwich panel production across all six geopolitical zones in the country and reaffirmed the company’s full commitment to advancing the goals of the project at all levels.
The group managing director/CEO of Vitafoam Nigeria, Taiwo Adeniyi, described the launch of the ozone-friendly polyurethane system house as a historic milestone for the company and the nation.
