The Federal Government on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, said that it would begin enforcement on Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) in the Beverages and Packaging Sector to encourage circular economy and protect the environment for sustainability.
Prof. Innocent Barikor, Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), gave the information at a stakeholders workshop held in Lagos State.
The event had the theme “Stakeholders Engagement and Sensitisation Workshop on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programme for The Packaging Sector”.
The event, attended by industry players, regulators and policy makers, is to educate and evaluate policies and challenges toward the move from voluntary compliance to mandatory compliance enforcement.
EPR fosters a circular economy that compels producers to take responsibility of waste from their products from beginning to the end of its life cycle.
It encourages the recycling of waste to wealth that creates value chain and reduces environment pollution.
Speaking at the event, Barikor described the compliance enforcement as a departure from the voluntary compliance approach to a mandatory one to be instituted before the end of 2026.
He said that the event came at a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s journey toward environmental sustainability.
According to Barikor, the challenge of waste management, particularly plastic waste, has evolved into a pressing national priority demanding our collective action.
“Under the mandate of NESREA, we are charged amongst others, with the responsibility of protection of the Nigerian environment toward the overall global drive on sustainable development.
“Central to our strategy is the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’ which is a key tool under the Sustainable Development Goals”.
“In this regard, we believe that the outcome of a product’s environmental impact should not rest solely on the government or the end-consumer, but should be shared by the producers who introduce these products into the marketplace.
“The EPR programme is, thus, the cornerstone on which we rely for our circular economy transition from the old to the new in line with international best practices.
“From the year 2025 into 2026, we have evolved from a voluntary framework to a mandatory enforcement phase.”
According to Barikor, this means that producers, importers, and brand owners are now legally required to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products; that is, from when the product is designed and produced, to its end-of-life.
“When disposed including collection and recycling activities. Management of the post-consumer products’ packaging is no longer just ‘good corporate action or social responsibility’ but a regulatory requirement for doing business in Nigeria.
“Today, we will therefore formally sensitise people on the National Guidelines for the implementation of EPR Programme in line with circular economy on Plastic Packaging.
“This document is not merely a set of rules, but a roadmap and masterplan that would guide you to compliance as enshrined in the emerging National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations, 2026,” he said.
The NESREA boss urged producers to register with the authoritiy for a seamless tracking regulations.
He said that the guideline provided amongst others, clear targets with regards to specific annual targets for collection, recovery and recycling, definition of roles and responsibilities of Producers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs).
He commended the interface of the Food Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) and recyclers, as well as the interplay amongst these sector players and reporting standards in relation to standardisation formats.
Barikor stressed that the EPR programme was not a “tax” levied on industries.
“It is rather an invitation on them to innovate and reinvent.
“By embracing circular economy initiatives, Nigerian industries can reduce operational costs through resource recovery, create Green Jobs – in the collection and recycling value chains, enhance brand reputation by meeting the global demand for sustainable products.
“We, therefore, appreciate our development partners,
“WE thank especially the government and people of Japan, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for their invaluable support to the agency through this project, accelerating a circular plastic economy to reduce plastic pollution and its impacts in African Region and its countries”.
“To our private sector partners, we are committed to working with you and supporting your transition, but will remain firm in our resolve to protecting our ecosystems through enforcement where the need arises.
“The sector Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), in this regard FBRA, by this sensitisation, is also urged to raise the bar of your coordination activities amongst sector subscribers in ensuring that they are equipped with the requisite knowledge on the EPR programme unto compliance.”
By Uchenna Eletuo