Building a Circular Nigeria: How Private Sector Collaboration is Transforming Plastic Waste into Opportunity
Publish date: 2025-10-23
Nigeria generates an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, with less than 10% effectively recycled. Across West Africa, more than 80% of plastic waste remains mismanaged, posing risks to public health, biodiversity, and coastal economies. But amid these challenges, a quiet transformation is underway, driven by collaboration, innovation, and policy reform.
Private Sector Leadership: Strengthening the Recycling Ecosystem
The private sector is increasingly at the forefront of efforts to address Nigeria’s plastic challenge. Not only through corporate initiatives but by shaping the systems that make circularity possible.
One of the most notable of these collaborations is the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), a coalition of forward-looking companies working to accelerate sustainable waste management across the country. Established as the first Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) in Nigeria, FBRA plays a pivotal role in advancing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and ensuring that producers and importers of packaged goods take active responsibility for the post-consumer stage of their packaging materials.
Through partnerships with government regulators such as the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), FBRA is driving the institutionalisation of EPR in Nigeria. Its advocacy and technical support have informed the development of national policies, standard operating frameworks, and recycling models that are now being replicated across sectors.
Driving Impact Together: Private Sector Commitment in Action
FBRA’s strength lies in collective responsibility. Its member companies are not only funding and expanding recovery systems but also building scalable solutions that make recycling work in the real world. Across the value chain, organisations are investing in aggregation networks, supporting collection agents, developing recycling infrastructure, and creating demand for recycled materials, turning plastic waste into economic opportunity for thousands of Nigerians.
One example of this commitment in action is Nestlé Nigeria, a founding member of FBRA, whose investments in community-based recycling and circular packaging innovation are helping shape industry standards.
Private Sector Leadership: Strengthening the Recycling Ecosystem
The private sector is increasingly at the forefront of efforts to address Nigeria’s plastic challenge. Not only through corporate initiatives but by shaping the systems that make circularity possible.
One of the most notable of these collaborations is the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), a coalition of forward-looking companies working to accelerate sustainable waste management across the country. Established as the first Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) in Nigeria, FBRA plays a pivotal role in advancing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and ensuring that producers and importers of packaged goods take active responsibility for the post-consumer stage of their packaging materials.
Through partnerships with government regulators such as the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), FBRA is driving the institutionalisation of EPR in Nigeria. Its advocacy and technical support have informed the development of national policies, standard operating frameworks, and recycling models that are now being replicated across sectors.
Driving Impact Together: Private Sector Commitment in Action
FBRA’s strength lies in collective responsibility. Its member companies are not only funding and expanding recovery systems but also building scalable solutions that make recycling work in the real world. Across the value chain, organisations are investing in aggregation networks, supporting collection agents, developing recycling infrastructure, and creating demand for recycled materials, turning plastic waste into economic opportunity for thousands of Nigerians.
One example of this commitment in action is Nestlé Nigeria, a founding member of FBRA, whose investments in community-based recycling and circular packaging innovation are helping shape industry standards.
Source: APO-NEWS-EN
