Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADEV) has urged plastic-producing companies and brands using plastic for packaging to publicly disclose their handling of single-use plastics, set measurable targets to reduce it and overhaul their delivery systems to eliminate plastic pollution.
The appeal was made at the unveiling of its Plastics Brand Audit (2019–2024), a five-year compendium of plastic waste audits across Lagos State.
The unveiling marks a key milestone in SRADEV’s National Campaign to Eliminate Plastic Pollution, aligned with this year’s World Environment Day theme, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. The initiative is supported by the Break Free from Plastic (BFFP) movement and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).
SRADEV’s audit analysed over 11,000 plastic items collected from six locations across Lagos. The results named the top 10 plastic polluters, both multinational and local brands, as follows: Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Rite Foods (Bigi), CWAY Group, Mr. V Water, Viju Industries, La Casera Company, Nirvana Table Water, Adbuk (sachet water) and Seaman’s Schnapps (Intercontinental Distillers Ltd.)
The audit noted that plastic pollution from food and beverage packaging, especially PET bottles and multilayer sachets dominated the waste stream, accounting for 89 per cent to 99 per cent of plastic pollutants recorded in 2023 and 2024.
SRADEV warned that sachet water and alcoholic drinks in sachets, despite bans, were re-emerging as a major menace due to their non-recyclable nature and lack of inclusion in Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.
The organisation cited greenwashing efforts by companies such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo, which claim sustainability through recycling or compostable packaging while continuing to produce billions of single-use plastic items daily.
Commending the Lagos State Government for its plan to enforce a ban on single-use plastics, including Styrofoam, plastic straws and nylon bags under 40 microns, from July 1, 2025, the organisation called for the inclusion of PET bottles, thicker nylon bags and sachet water packaging in the ban.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of SRADEV Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, described plastic pollution not only as an environmental catastrophe but a public health emergency.
“Microplastics and toxic additives in packaging leach into food and water, posing serious health risks from endocrine disruption to cancer. They have been detected in human blood, breast milk and even drinking water. We cannot continue business as usual,” Adogame said.
He emphasised the role of corporations in driving the crisis, stating that the era of relying on single-use plastic is over and that companies must adopt sustainable systems that eliminate waste at the source.
Adogame criticised industry efforts that emphasise recycling and cleanup over reduction. He reaffirmed the organisation’s support for a zero waste initiative in Nigeria, calling on citizens, policymakers and corporations to act urgently.
President of the Association of Scrap and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL), Friday Oku, stressed the importance of source segregation of waste and the government’s support for recycling infrastructure.
