In a world where climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly pressing concerns, manufacturing companies are expected to minimize their externalities, as part of their social responsibility to exert less negative impact on the environment where they operate. Nigeria’s leading Food and Beverage manufacturingg company, Rite Foods Limited, is rising to the challenge by prioritizing greener energy in its commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices.
As Rite Foods, manufacturers of the Bigi, Fearless, and Sosa brands of non-alcoholic beverages as well as Rite and Bigi Sausage Rolls, joins the rest of the world in commemorating the third annual International Clean Energy Day, set aside by the United Nations General Assembly for January 26, it affords the world-class and proudly Nigerian company the opportunity to review its scorecard on clean energy utilization in its manufacturing operations.
There is no doubt that sustainability was embedded into the design of its world class manufacturing facility at Ososa, Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. This is evident in the clear mapping out of sections of the production facility for green areas and its energy mix strategy, among others. According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, “from the outset, we were clear on having a production facility that compares only with the best in any part of the world. That also meant ensuring that we mainstreamed sustainability considerations. As at today, our energy mix is 92% gas, while the remaining 8% is between solar energy and occasionally, AGO”.
“As a result, our emission intensity is about the best in the industry. Given the energy intensive operations we run, we were mindful of adopting options that have minimal emission. Today, our emission intensity is about 772gCO2 per litre of beverage, which is way better than the industry average of between 1300gCO2 – 2500gCO2/lpb. It is something we are proud of and our goal is to continue to drive it down”, he added.
“We remain accountable to mop-up and adopt options of minimal emissions to preserve our environment, as well as the health and well-being of our employees and the local community. We knew we had to make the right but difficult choices. Such difficult but necessary policy execution is the hallmark of leadership”, says Adegunwa.
Rite Foods runs an off-grid factory that is heavily dependent on natural gas for its energy generation. The Company considered that natural gas was a more environmentally friendly energy option compared to AGO which most companies in its category use for energy generation. Indeed, in the last five years, the company has saved about 106,506TCO2e which is accounted for by the combined leverage of natural gas and solar energy in its operation.
The Head Corporate Affairs and Sustainability of the Company, Ekuma Eze remarked that, “we just concluded our emission inventory audit and it is cheering to note that our emission intensity is on the downward trend. The equivalent of the emissions we have avoided in the last five years by using more environmentally friendly energy options can provide electricity to over 200,000 households in a year; that is the equivalent of say Port Harcourt population or equivalent of planting over 3 million trees and letting them grow for 10 years.
“Our choice of natural gas as an alternative to AGO is primarily because it produces fewer GreenHouse Gas emissions and air pollutants. This also aligns with Nigeria’s “Just Transition” strategy in her net zero commitment because you have to balance economic factors with climate action. Of course, renewable energy is the way to go in the long-term. This is why we have invested in ground-mounted solar power plant which was commissioned in February 2019 and hybridized to our generators”, he said.
The Rite Foods Solar power plant is one of the first renewable energy projects handled by TotalEnergies for a manufacturing concern in Nigeria. TotalEnergies says Rite Foods solar energy production “corresponds to 12% of the site’s consumption.” On the environmental performance of this Ecosolution, TotalEnergies says it offers about 97% reduction of greenhouse gas emission compared to the baseline scenario.
The Food and Beverage Company’s clean energy initiative “aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7, which targets “universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030,” says Eze
Rite Foods believes that by taking the right steps and adopting global best practices, its journey to clean energy serves as a model for other manufacturing companies; that sustainability is not only a moral imperative, but also a business strategy.
This year’s International Day of Clean Energy further reinforces the importance of raising global awareness and mobilizing action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of the planet and indeed, the people.
Nigeria aligns with the rest of the world on the importance of transiting to clean energy to save the environment. The bulk of the greenhouse gas emission comes through energy production which involves burning fossil fuel to generate electricity. Nigeria’s energy mix is about 81% gas-fired thermal and 19% hydro. The country aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 45% by 2030 and up to 90% by 2050, all things being equal. However, this plan is anchored on a just energy transition that is fair, inclusive, and equitable considering the peculiar challenges of a large section of the population without electricity and the need to create jobs and other economic opportunities.
With the concerted commitment from Industry as exemplified by Rite Foods clean energy initiative as well as other well-meaning corporate organisations, Nigeria will be on a right footing to achieving its net zero commitments.
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