Rite Foods Limited recovered more than 858 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment in 2025, reduced its greenhouse gas emissions intensity and increased spending on community development as it strengthened its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.
The company’s 2025 Sustainability Report showed it recovered 858.2 tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste in partnership with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), while reducing carbon intensity from 772gCO₂ per litre of beverage in 2024 to 598gCO₂ in 2025.
Speaking during the presentation of the report in Lagos on Friday, Ekuma Eze, head of corporate affairs and sustainability at Rite Foods, said the company continues to decouple production growth from energy consumption through technology, operational efficiency and improved practices.
“In our own operations, we try as much as possible, through technology, through behavioural practices, and through best practices, to ensure that even though our production is growing, our energy efficiency is reducing, so that we can cut down on our carbon footprint,” Eze said.
According to him, the company reduced its energy use ratio by seven percent between 2024 and 2025, lowering energy consumption from 0.44 megajoules per litre of beverage to 0.41 megajoules per litre.
The sustainability report also showed that more than 93 percent of the company’s energy mix now comes from natural gas, while renewable energy contributed 1.4 percent, equivalent to 3,849.1 gigajoules generated during the year.
Rite Foods said it recorded an estimated seven percent reduction in emissions intensity through improved energy efficiency and operational optimisation.
The company added that it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by another 10 percent by 2026 and 40 percent by 2030, while aligning its long-term ambition with Nigeria’s net-zero target for 2060.
On waste management, Eze said the company also reduced the amount of waste generated from its production processes.
“Although our operations do not, in essence, generate very harmful waste, but waste is waste. If you don’t manage your waste very well, then you will be acting in an irresponsible way to the environment,” he said.
He said solid waste generation fell from 10.6 grams per litre of beverage in 2024 to 7.71 grams in 2025, representing a 27 percent reduction.
The report equally showed improvements in resource efficiency, with water consumption dropping from 2.4 litres per litre of beverage in 2024 to 1.9 litres in 2025, while energy usage improved to 0.41 megajoules per litre of beverage from 0.44MJ/LoB.
Highlighting the company’s circular economy initiatives, Eze said Rite Foods recovered more than 800 tonnes of plastic waste through the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, a producer responsibility organisation for food and beverage manufacturers using plastic packaging.
Beyond its environmental initiatives, Rite Foods increased spending on social investments to N581.92 million in 2025, representing a 50 percent increase from N387.89 million spent in 2024.
According to Eze, the investment supported education, healthcare, women empowerment and community development projects.
He said the company’s ICT centre in Ososa, Ogun State, trains more than 400 pupils and teachers daily, while participants receive free meals.
He also highlighted the donation of school bags made from recycled plastic materials, the distribution of free bottled water to frontline workers during the World Water Day campaign and support for the trauma centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu.
The report showed Rite Foods sustained about 3,000 direct jobs, supported more than 12,000 indirect jobs and maintained a distribution network serving over 900,000 retail outlets nationwide.
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Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, chairman of Rite Foods, said the company had strengthened sustainability governance by integrating ESG considerations into enterprise risk management and strategic decision-making.
“Our focus going forward is on deepening impact, improving data quality, and strengthening the link between sustainability performance and long-term financial resilience,” he said.