The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria, comprising of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its authorized bottler, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), today 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 Honourable 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 $1b over the next 5 years contingent on an enabling and predictable business environment.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Coca-Cola HBC
Coca-Cola HBC is a growth-focused consumer packaged goods business and strategic bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company. We open up moments that refresh us all, by creating value for our stakeholders and supporting the socio-economic development of the communities in which we operate. With a vision to be the leading 24/7 beverage partner, we offer drinks for all occasions around the clock and work together with our customers to serve 740 million consumers across a broad geographic footprint of 29 countries. Our portfolio is one of the strongest, broadest and most flexible in the beverage industry, with consumer-leading beverage brands in the sparkling, adult sparkling, juice, water, sport, energy, ready-to-drink tea, coffee, and premium spirits categories. These include Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Kinley, Costa Coffee, Caffè Vergnano, Valser, FuzeTea, Powerade, Cappy, Monster Energy, Finlandia Vodka, The Macallan, Jack Daniel’s and Grey Goose. We foster an open and inclusive work environment amongst our 33,000 employees and believe that building a more positive environmental impact is integral to our future growth. We rank among the top sustainability performers in ESG benchmarks such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, CDP, MSCI ESG, FTSE4Good and ISS ESG.
Coca-Cola HBC is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CCH) and on the Athens Exchange (ATHEX: EEE). For more information, please visit https://www.coca-colahellenic.com/
About Coca-Cola HBC in Nigeria
In Nigeria our rich history traces back to 1951, when a Greek-Cypriot entrepreneur, A.G. Leventis, established the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC). Since then, our business has evolved to become an essential global partner of The Coca-Cola Company. Expanding our horizons, we acquired the Coca-Cola bottling franchise (the Hellenic Bottling Company) in Greece, in 1981, then following a merger in 2001, the company was renamed to become Coca-Cola HBC. For more information, please visit: https://ng.coca-colahellenic.com/en
