Waste, Packaging and Circularity for Manufacturers

About this course

Every factory pays for waste twice: once when it buys the material and again when it throws it away. This course shows you how to find that waste, manage it safely, meet Nigeria's producer responsibility rules for packaging, use recycled materials with confidence and report waste figures that lenders, customers and regulators can trust. It is written by a working Nigerian recycling company that buys, sorts and sells the materials your plant produces.

Who it's for: Plant managers, EHS and sustainability teams, procurement, packaging and finance staff in FMCG and general manufacturing companies in Nigeria.

What you'll be able to do

• By the end you will be able to plan and run a basic waste audit on a production site and put a naira value on what you find.
• By the end you will be able to apply the waste hierarchy to real factory streams, separate hazardous from non-hazardous waste and store both safely.
• By the end you will be able to explain how Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging works in Nigeria and what it asks of your company.
• By the end you will be able to describe practical circular business models and write a basic quality specification for recycled feedstock.
• By the end you will be able to prepare waste data in line with GRI 306, and check that a recycling partner can prove where your material went.

Course outline

1. Module 1: Where waste hides in a factoryAbout 10 minutes
   1. Waste is lost money, not just rubbish
   2. Running a basic waste audit
   3. Common waste streams in manufacturing
   4. Check your understanding
2. Module 2: The waste hierarchy on the factory floorAbout 10 minutes
   1. Applying the waste hierarchy
   2. Hazardous waste, segregation and storage
   3. Working safely and building it into your systems
   4. Check your understanding
3. Module 3: Packaging and producer responsibilityAbout 10 minutes
   1. How Extended Producer Responsibility works in Nigeria
   2. Designing packaging that can actually be recycled
   3. Making claims without greenwashing
   4. Check your understanding
4. Module 4: Circular economy in practiceAbout 10 minutes
   1. From linear to circular: the ISO 59000 family and business models
   2. Using recycled feedstock with confidence
   3. Check your understanding
5. Module 5: Measuring, reporting and choosing partnersAbout 10 minutes
   1. Waste data that stands up: GRI 306 and greenhouse gas links
   2. Disclosure rules, lenders and zero waste schemes
   3. Auditing recyclers and demanding traceable records
   4. Check your understanding

Standards and frameworks covered

• National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) regulations, including its Extended Producer Responsibility programme for packaging
• National Policy on Solid Waste Management
• National Policy on Plastic Waste Management
• State environmental protection and waste management agencies
• Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) and other producer responsibility organisations
• ISO 14001 Environmental management systems
• ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems
• ISO 14021 Self-declared environmental claims
• ISO 59004, ISO 59010 and ISO 59020 Circular economy (published 2024, guidance standards)
• GRI 306: Waste 2020
• GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard
• IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, with the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria adoption roadmap
• Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (CBN, 2012)
• IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles
• Basel Convention
• TRUE Zero Waste certification and UL 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill