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Nestlé Ghana has officially inaugurated a new state- of the art Water Recycling Plant at its Tema Factory to mark World Environment Day. The event was held in Partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

The commissioning event was performed by the Hon. Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President and Hon. Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Environment. Nestlé is committed to improving its environmental footprint by improving resource efficiency, improving the environmental performance of our packaging and preserving natural capital. Environmental sustainability for Nestlé means protecting the future by making the right choices and also giving people in Ghana another reason to trust the company and enjoy its products.

The CHF 1.5 million Ultra Filtration-Reverse Osmosis system is built alongside the current waste water treatment plant which was constructed in 2010 as part of the company’s commitments to help treat the water the factory discharges in an environmentally friendly manner. With the addition of the new recycling plant, Nestlé will improve the quality of waste water.

The new plant will reuse 30% of waste water for non-core activities, reducing the total factory water consumption by 10%. In the inaugural speech read on behalf of the Presidency, Hon. Oppong Fosu reiterated the importance of preserving the environment because of its role in sustaining human life.

Hon Mahama Ayariga, in his speech recognised the need for the industrial sector to adapt proper environmental practices such as tree growing to help reduce the adverse impact of climate change.

Mrs. Freda Y. Duplan, Managing Director of Nestlé Ghana, in her welcome address explained that the initiative to invest in a Water Recycling Plant stems from the company’s 39 commitments to society: “As part of its commitments in the area of water, Nestlé commits to treat the water it discharges effectively.

The treatment of the water meets local legislation and Nestlé environmental compliance standards” she added. These 39 commitments of Nestlé to society have a link with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which have water and sanitation at their core. The SDG 6 focuses on water and sanitation with its clear linkages to goals relating to health, food security, climate change, resiliency to disasters and ecosystems among others.

Through its environmental sustainability commitments, Nestlé commits to improving resource efficiency in its operations. According to the World Bank, urban solid waste could potentially increase from 1.3 billion tonnes per year today to 2.2 billion by 2025.

In Ghana, Nestlé works in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to ensure continuous implementation of best in class manufacturing and waste disposal processes.

At the Tema factory, Nestlé now uses environmentally sustainable packaging materials such as monofilm in the production of Choco Milo cubes instead of laminate paper for a lesser impact on natural resources.

The company equally uses recycled cardboard instead of virgin cardboard for its display box packaging of Nescafé Classic 2g sachets. Tema Factory, together with the other Nestlé factories in the Central and West Africa Region, are ISO 140001 certified.

This certification is presented to organisations for their environmental management best practices such as switching to cleaner fuels, investing in renewable energy, optimising distribution networks, and helping adapt agricultural and production systems to the changing climate.