Coca-Cola System Unveils Packaging Hub In Lagos
By Abimbola Abdullah
The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria, comprising of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its authorized bottler, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), has announced the commissioning of a state-of-the-art Packaging Collection Hub located in Apapa, Lagos.
The facility, a landmark initiative in Nigeria’s plastics recycling infrastructure, has the capacity to process up to 13,000 metric tonnes (MT) of plastic bottles annually.
In addition to supporting the Coca-Cola System’s sustainability initiatives, the hub aims to serve as a comprehensive solution for plastic waste management. It seeks to facilitate PET collection, process materials into clean PET bales, and enable rPET production through third-party partnerships— helping contribute to cleaner communities and driving collective action to help reduce packaging waste. The vision is to scale the model once its success is demonstrated.
The Coca-Cola System’s investment underscores its global goal to help reduce packaging waste and emissions through:
• Using 35% to 40% recycled material in primary packaging (plastic, glass and aluminium), including increasing recycled plastic use to 30% to 35% globally.
• Helping to ensure the collection of 70% to 75% of the equivalent number of bottles and cans introduced into the market by 2035.
Over the past decade, the Coca-Cola System has contributed over $1.5 billion to Nigeria’s economic value chain, empowering communities, driving economic growth, and advancing sustainability. Recently, the System announced plans to more than double its investment rate over the next five years, committing $1 billion to further these efforts. The newly established Packaging Collection Hub reinforces the Coca-Cola System’s legacy of investment in Nigeria and supports its long-term objectives of expanding the network of recycling centres and producing food-grade recycled PET, thereby reducing dependence on imported virgin materials.
Speaking during the commissioning, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Circular Economy, Mrs Titilayo Oshodi, explained that the new facility is a symbol of progress and a tangible demonstration of the kind of Corporate Social Responsibility that was needed in Lagos.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has demonstrated its commitment to doing business beyond profit and playing a broader role in society through this project.
“This hub will serve as a critical centre for collecting, sorting, and recycling PET plastics, which will significantly reduce plastic pollution in our environment,” he said.
In her remarks, the Honourable Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, described the launch of the Coca-Cola System’s Packaging Collection Hub as a significant step forward in our collective commitment to sustainability, economic growth, and environmental responsibility in Nigeria.
Oduwole commended the Coca-Cola System for its vision and investment in the project, stating that the commitment to Nigeria’s economy, environmental sustainability, and community development aligns with the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader vision for a prosperous and self-sustaining nation.
Speaking at the commissioning, Zoran Bogdanovic, Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola HBC, known locally as Nigerian Bottling Company, highlighted the company’s strategic vision:
“This facility represents a significant milestone in our journey of reducing waste by collecting and recycling our packaging in Nigeria. By investing in the hub, we are supporting local communities and creating jobs, as well as demonstrating our commitment to building a more sustainable future in a country that is integral to the success of our business. We are proud to partner with the Nigerian Government in addressing the critical challenge of waste management while fostering economic growth.”
The Coca-Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit President, Luisa Ortega, explained that “For nearly 75 years, the Coca-Cola System has been honoured to be part of communities in Nigeria. Through collaboration with local and global partners, the Coca-Cola System will continue to expand its design innovations, explore new collection models or improve existing ones, invest in local infrastructure like this hub, and engage with communities to help create a better shared future.”
Also speaking, the Minister of State, Industry, Senator John Enoh, described the System’s commissioning of a Packaging Collection Hub as a bold step that would redefine Nigeria’s industrial landscape with manufacturing meeting sustainability and industry producing output and impact.
“Establishing this hub by the Coca-Cola System, comprising Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company, marks an important moment in our national industrial journey. It demonstrates what happens when industries rise beyond profit and embrace responsibility to the environment for job creation. To the larger ecosystem that fuels their success,” Enoh said.
For over 96 years, the Coca-Cola System has refreshed Africa while driving transformative change across the continent. In Nigeria, the System has been a cornerstone of the economy for nearly 75 years, employing over 2,800 people across eight production plants, 11 depots and over 58 commercial territories.
Beyond its immediate economic contributions, the Coca-Cola System leads sustainability efforts through initiatives in packaging, recycling infrastructure, reduced virgin plastic usage, and consumer engagement campaigns to foster environmental responsibility.
In addition to its packaging initiatives, the System also invests in providing access to clean water and empowering youth and supports waste management infrastructure in line with our earlier commitment to scale our investment in Nigeria up to $1 billion over the next five years contingent on an enabling and predictable business environment.
