Firm advocates adoption of sustainable practices to protect ozone layer

Rite Foods Limited, a Nigerian beverage company, has urged the adoption of sustainable practices to prevent further depletion of the ozone layer.

The company made the call on Thursday during an event to mark the 2025 World Ozone Day at its factory in Ososa, Ogun state.

The day is observed annually on September 16 to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the ozone layer and highlight global and national efforts to preserve the environment.

Speaking at the event, Ekuma Eze, Rite Foods’ head of corporate affairs and sustainability, said climate change and its effects, including erratic weather patterns and the farmer-herder crisis, are linked to ozone layer depletion.

He noted that the drying up of the Niger Basin has forced pastoralists to migrate in search of grazing land.

“It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that the ozone layer is not depleted and the only way to do that is through sustainable practices,” Eze said.

“You can’t predict the weather these days because of the effects of climate change caused by the depletion of the ozone layer.

“It’s our collective responsibility to protect the environment and create awareness. Let people in their different corners imbibe sustainability practices.”

Eze said the company had significantly reduced its carbon emissions by phasing out reliance on diesel and investing in cleaner energy sources.

He explained that the firm’s forklifts now run on electricity rather than automotive gas oil and that its energy mix is dominated by natural gas, with only minimal use of diesel and solar.

“In terms of carbon intensity, we are about the best. The industry average is between 1,300 and 2,500 grams of CO₂ per litre of product, but ours is 772 grams,” he said.

“All these carbon savings represent emissions that would have further depleted the ozone layer. We are ensuring they don’t.”

Eze added that beyond internal operations, the company had demonstrated its environmental commitment through initiatives such as large-scale beach cleanups and investments in sustainable cooling systems.

On his part, Olufemi Ajileye, the company’s general manager of operations, said Rite Foods was scaling up renewable energy across its factories.

He said the company’s transition away from diesel showed that businesses could cut costs, reduce emissions and still maintain efficient production systems.

In April 2024, the federal government announced that Nigeria had moved to stage three of its plan to phase out ozone-depleting substances by 2040.