By Merit Ibe
Pernod Ricard Nigeria, a subsidiary of World No.2 producer of spirits and wines, has thrown its weight behind ‘Let’s Do It Nigeria’, the franchise holder of World Cleanup Day in Nigeria, to organise cleanup exercises in more than 300 locations across Nigeria, clearing more than 10 thousand tons of waste.
The cleanup exercise which took place last month aimed to mark World clean-up Day, simultaneously observed in about 164 countries.
The Day is an annual global social action programme that unites millions of volunteers, governments and organisations worldwide to tackle the global waste problem with the aim of building a sustainable world.
Sustainability and Responsibility Manager for Pernod Ricard Nigeria and Western Africa, Eunice Osei-Tutu, said her outfit was very excited to join in the World Cleanup Day exercise, which corresponds with the Circular Making Pillar of Pernod Ricard’s Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap, which supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDG) 12, Responsible Consumption and Production and 14, Life Below Water.
“It is a very fulfilling moment for us at Pernod Ricard as we join the world to preserve our natural environment and minimise waste.
At Pernod Ricard, we always look for opportunities to advance sustainable actions that preserve the environment. Every step of operation at Pernod Ricard has been laced with processes that optimise and help preserve natural resources.
For example, we have banned all promotional items made from single-use plastic since 2021 and are working to ensure that 100 per cent of our packaging will be recyclable, reusable, compostable or bio-based by 2025. We also adopt eco-design principles to reduce impact for all New Product Development.”
For his part, Mr. Olumide Coker, the Country Leader of ‘Let’s Do It Nigeria’, thanked everyone around the country that participated in the cleanup exercise and encouraged them to do good for the earth by ensuring they imbibe the 5 Rs of circular economy to save the world.
The 5Rs he said include: “Rethink – be conscious of the environment before purchasing any product; Refuse – refuse materials that are not biodegradable and those you don’t need; Reduce – Only buy things that are needed; Reuse – packaging, plastic, aluminium, etc. when you can; and Recycle – Recycle materials and prioritize buying things that are made from recyclable materials or recyclable.”
Earlier, Mr. Seun Osikalu, Founder/Executive Chairman of ‘Let’s Do It Nigeria’ appreciated the support received from partners Pernod Ricard, Royal HaskoningDHV and The Netherland consulate for this year’s event.
He further encouraged other corporate organizations with an interest to save the earth and preserve it for future generations to partner with ‘Let’s Do It Nigeria’ to be able to reach and engage 5 percent of Nigeria’s population for the next World Cleanup Day event in September 2023.