New packaging collection hub to aid recycling, sustainability
The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria, comprising Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), has commissioned a packaging collection hub in Apapa, Lagos.
The facility, a landmark initiative in Nigeria’s plastics recycling infrastructure, can process up to 13,000 metric tonnes (MT) of plastic bottles annually. It will facilitate PET collection, process materials into clean PET bales, and enable PET production through third-party partnerships; thereby contributing to cleaner communities and driving collective action to help reduce packaging waste.
According to the company, it aims to scale the model once its success is demonstrated. Speaking at the commissioning, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Coca-Cola HBC/Nigerian Bottling Company, Zoran Bogdanovic, highlighted the company’s strategic vision, saying the new facility represents a significant milestone in their journey of reducing waste by collecting and recycling their packaging locally.
By investing in the hub, he said, would create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, birth new entrepreneurs and demonstrate the commitment to building a more sustainable future in a country that is integral to their success. He said they would continue to partner with the government to address waste management and foster economic growth.
He added that this investment underscores their global goal to help reduce packaging waste and emissions through using about 40 per cent recycled materials in primary packaging, including increasing recycled plastic use to 35 per cent globally.
He said the company has contributed over $1.5 billion to Nigeria’s economic value chain, reiterating their plans to more than double their investment over the next five years and committed an additional $1 billion to further these efforts.
He revealed that the newly established hub reinforces their belief in Nigeria and supports the company’s long-term objectives of expanding the network of recycling centres and producing food-grade recycled PET, thereby reducing dependence on imported virgin materials.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Circular Economy, Titilayo Oshodi, explained that the new facility is a symbol of progress and a tangible demonstration of the kind of corporate social responsibility needed in Lagos. He said that NBC has demonstrated its commitment to doing business beyond profit and playing a broader role in society through this project.
In her remarks, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, described the hub as a significant step forward in our collective commitment to sustainability, economic growth, and environmental responsibility in Nigeria. Oduwole commended the Coca-Cola System for its vision and investment, stating that the commitment to Nigeria’s economy, environmental sustainability, and community development aligns with the government’s vision for a prosperous and self-sustaining nation.
Coca-Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit President, Luisa Ortega, said that for nearly 75 years, they have been honoured to be part of communities in Nigeria and through this collaboration, will continue to expand its design innovations, explore new collection models or improve existing ones, invest in local infrastructure and engage with communities to help create a better-shared future.
Also speaking, the Honourable Minister of State, Industry, John Enoh, said the hub would redefine Nigeria’s industrial landscape with manufacturing meeting sustainability and industry producing output and impact. “Establishing this hub demonstrates what happens when industries rise beyond profit and embrace responsibility to the environment for job creation and to the larger ecosystem that fuels their success,” he said.
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