Experts Urges E-commerce Operators on Eco-friendly Materials
Experts have called on the Nigerian e-commerce industry to use eco-friendly materials in its packaging and logistics of products to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment.
The experts made this known at a sensitisation workshop on Greening E-commerce organised by The Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development for Decent Employment In Nigeria Programme (SEDIN) – an initiative of the German Development Agency (GIZ) in partnership with Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST).
The experts highlighted the importance of e-commerce operators in Nigeria committing to concrete climate actions and sustainable operations.
Nnaemeka Ngwu, director of the public sector initiative and a professor at Lagos Business School, (LBS) urged e-commerce companies to quickly adopt sustainable green technology to minimize their environmental harm.
“E-commerce is a business enabler and a platform through which many people can get involved in trade and commerce. However, e-commerce also brings lots of issues in sustainability and climate change because of pollution,” he said.
According to him, to improve the sustainability component of e-commerce, the country must promote better packaging and logistics among operators.
“We need to green the e-commerce industry to make it more inclusive and support the climate so that it does not cause risks and issues,” he added.
Ngwu lauded the Lagos State government on the ban on single-use plastics, calling for the policy to be complemented with awareness, advocacy, and engagement so that the public understands the reason for the policy.
He stated that such awareness should be done regularly, while urging the Nigerian Postal Service to use its leadership role in the courier industry to engage other courier businesses within the space on the benefits of sustainability and the packaging and logistics issues.
In her opening remarks, Titi Oshodi, special adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, called for awareness on greening across various sectors of governance, communities and the private sector
“This will ensure that people understand the rationale behind the policies on greening and they also understand what the alternatives are.
“This is the reason why climate literacy is a front-boner strategy for us in Lagos State,” she added.
Oshodi emphasized that Lagos is a commercial hub that grew its GDP due to the operations of micro, small and medium-size businesses, adding “We need to have them empowered, more knowledgeable about sustainability practices.”
Tola Odeyemi, postmaster-general, Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST), said the courier can play a strategic and vital role in greening the ecosystem, noting that it has 1,174 post offices nationwide.
Odeyemi, who was represented by Ernest Mamood, general-manager of EMS Parcel Nigeria, said NIPOST is a regulator in the country’s courier industry and can use its position to sensitize other operators in the industry on the use of eco-friendly materials in packaging and logistics to cut environmental impact.