Firm empowers young environment leaders to drive sustainable dev

A firm, Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) has empowered young environmental leaders in a bid to drive sustainable development in Lagos State.

SBC wrapped up the year 2024 with its highly anticipated Sustainability Week themed
‘Championing Circular Economy in our Business and Communities – THE SABI WAY’ with the grand finale of a Green Skill Schools Challenge and Exhibition, in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education.

The company in a press release said the event was one of its corporate social responsibilities (CSR), adding that the initiative was part of a broader sustainability effort.

“This initiative, which was part of a broader sustainability effort by SBC, brought together students, educators, environmental advocates, NGOs, and government representatives to showcase the creativity and innovation of young minds in the fight against plastic pollution through upcycling of plastic waste in pursuance of SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 Responsible Production and Consumption and SDG 13 Climate Action,” the statement read.

Held at the SBC manufacturing plant in Ikeja, Lagos, the event brought together participants
from 18 schools across the six districts of Lagos to compete in a green-themed skills
challenge.

The Green Skills School Challenge focused on promoting sustainability practices,
particularly plastic waste management and upcycling, while also fostering solutions aligned with the circular economy.

The Managing Director of SBC, Ziad Maalouf, expressed pride in the success of the event: “We are incredibly proud of these future leaders who have participated in the Green Skills School Challenge and Exhibition as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability.

“This initiative aligns with SBC’s core values of fostering innovation, promoting environmental awareness, and supporting the next generation of leaders who will drive the green economy forward.

“It is inspiring to see how passionate and committed the students are to making a difference. We believe that through initiatives like this, we can empower youth to become
the sustainability champions of tomorrow.”

The Green Skills School Challenge attracted an overwhelming 330 applications from schools across Lagos. After careful consideration, three schools from each of the six districts were selected to present their sustainability projects at the grand finale event.

The students’ projects demonstrated a strong commitment to tackling plastic pollution through innovative solutions such as upcycled products and waste-to-resources initiatives.

The competition culminated in the announcement of the winners, with the top three schools receiving substantial cash prizes to further their sustainability efforts:

The first placed school got a cash prize of N1 million, second placed received N500,000, third placed went away with N250,000 while there were consolation prizes with a total of N1.5 million distributed among the other participating schools.

In addition to the monetary prizes, all students who participated in the challenge were
awarded grants of N110,000 each, in a partnership between SBC, Zenith Bank and LAWMA Academy.

The grants are designed to help students further enhance capacity-building in
environmental sustainability and entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, they will benefit from a specialized GREEN SKILL SCALE UP bootcamp and training program, in collaboration with leading organizations such as: Fate Foundation (Entrepreneurship and Business Development) through the Office of Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Climate Change & Circular
Economy).

Others are LAWMA through LAWMA Academy (Waste to resources mentors and bootcamp
coordination) and NESREA (National Environmental Regulations awareness and training on plastic waste management).

Also included are Green Hub Africa (Promotion of winning initiatives with United Nations on June 5, 2025 and NECA (Provision of mentors for commercialization of ideas).

This bootcamp will provide practical training in areas such as waste management, green
skills, and environmental advocacy, equipping students with the tools they need to become
leaders in the green economy.