To minimise the impact of climate change in Nigeria, the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has asked all industry shareholders to engage in sustainable manufacturing across their operations.

This was stated by NBC during the third annual NBC Stakeholders Forum, which was held in Lagos under the theme "Combating Climate Change Through Resource Efficiency."

The Managing Director of NBC, Matthieu Seguin, stated that the forum provided an opportunity for a more in-depth examination of the innumerable opportunities for combating climate change, including expanding clients' options and initiatives beyond improving energy efficiency and accelerating the transition to renewables.

“The move is coming on the heels of a series of steady investments made by the company towards sustainable manufacturing to achieve our set target of Net Zero emissions by the year 2040,” he said.

The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, represented by the Director General of the National Council on Climate Change, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, lauded the Coca-Cola System's contributions to environmental sustainability in its ambitious goals to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its operations by the year 2040, ten years ahead of several other targets, including that of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“For Nigeria, the target for net zero is to be achieved by 2060, and for NBC to come up with these ambitious targets means a lot of investment and changes in its technology, approach, and resource utilisation. This is a big plus for the company, and I believe there are opportunities for other companies and industrial magnates to tow this line,” he said.

Newton Jibunoh, the founder of the Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE), stated that coordination among relevant stakeholders is required to reduce the impacts of climate change at a time when half of the world's population is experiencing a weakening impact of climate change in the country.

Jibunoh urged all stockholders to continue collaborating and making efforts to resolve the issue.

The NBC Stakeholders Forum is intended to be a venue for robust and genuine conversations between Nigerian Bottling Company and its valued stakeholders, attracting participants from Regulatory Agencies, relevant MDAs from the federal and state governments, the diplomatic community, the academia, industry associations, non-governmental organisations, consumers, suppliers, and other trade partners. 

As part of NBC's contribution to national development as a responsible organisation, the event provides a forum for robust discussion, the discovery of new ideas, and the exchange of knowledge on some of the most pressing challenges confronting businesses and communities in which it operates.

Source: The Guardian

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