NBC Targets 40% Net Zero Emission by 2040
Gilbert Ekugbe
The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited has announced plans to hit 40 per cent net zero emission in 2040, noting that the move is coming on the heels of the declaration made by the United Nations (UN) to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050.
The Managing Director NBC, Mr. Matthieu Seguin, stated that the company is investing massively into critical infrastructure to help achieve this target.
Seguin stated this during the NBC Stakeholders’ forum 2022 in Lagos to intimate its stakeholders on the progress it has made so far as a company.
According to him, the company’s commitment to the environment is total, adding that all of its stakeholders are on board to positively impact the environment in its bid to make a difference.
He said the stakeholders’ forum provides another opportunity for the company to engage with its stakeholders on combating climate change through resource efficiency while also co creating solutions for business profitability.
“This meeting will allow us for a deeper reflection on endless possibilities that exist in combating climate change as part of our efforts to broaden climate mitigation options, initiatives beyond unseen energy efficiencies and accelerate the shift to renewables, which we have been driving all across our plants whether it is gas or solar panel,” he said.
He said Coca Cola has recently unveiled a roadmap to renewable energy transition in its manufacturing operation, saying that the move is coming on the heels of series of investment made by the company to operate a sustainable role of manufacturing to achieve its 2040 target.
“However, we recognize that those goals that we set for ourselves are by no means easy and all of our stakeholders are on board with us on the journey to make a change that will positively impact the environment and make a difference.
Also speaking, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, represented by the Director General, National Council on Climate Change, Salisu, said for Nigeria, the target for net zero is 2060 reason being that the nation lacks the right infrastructure to achieve the feat, calling on the private sector to invest massively into critical infrastructure in the country.
He said the government has taken bold steps to addressing climate change by signing into law the Climate change act while also inaugurating the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC)
“This is the third in the series and this means that Coca Cola is not only committed to climate change discourse, but acting the climate in discourse and doing it in a very sustainable manner for climate change, the challenges enormous and require participation by every sector. We will continue to partner and increase our collaboration with Coca Cola and the private sector to combat climate change,” he added.
On his part, the Managing Director, Coca-Cola, Nigeria, Mr. Alfred Olajide, said combating climate change is a collective action to make a transformational change, pointing out that no one company will be able achieve to address the issue of climate change.
“It is complex, it is dynamic and requires dimensional mitigation and initiatives to properly address and as a Coca Cola system, climate change is a priority for us and we know and hold ourselves accountable, that we have the responsibility to reduce the carbon footprint across our value chain. We have the responsibility to foster partnerships that drive positive change, and improve business resilience by managing not just the short term risk but also impacts that change the climate for the long term,” he said.
