Rite Foods Limited has set a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 after recording lower greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy efficiency and reduced water consumption in 2025, according to its latest Sustainability Report.
The food and beverage manufacturer also increased investment in community development and workforce capacity during the year, underscoring a broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy that it says is central to its long-term growth.
Speaking at the presentation of the company’s 2025 Sustainability Report in Lagos, Ekuma Eze, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, said Rite Foods remains committed to progressively reducing its environmental footprint while embedding sustainability across its operations.
“Our commitment is that by 2060, we should have come to net-zero carbon as a company,” Eze said.
He disclosed that the company’s total carbon emissions declined by five per cent in 2025 from the previous year, while carbon intensity fell by 23 per cent, reflecting improved operational efficiency across its manufacturing facilities.
According to Eze, Rite Foods has published sustainability reports since 2024 to measure its performance across environmental, social and governance indicators and provide greater transparency to stakeholders.
“We have to have minimal impact on the environment, on the communities and on the people while conducting our business in an ethical manner to ensure that all stakeholders benefit,” he said.
The company’s board also highlighted progress in reducing emissions.
In the sustainability report, Chairman of the Board, Dr. Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, said emissions intensity declined by an estimated seven per cent in 2025, driven by improved energy efficiency and operational optimisation.
He added that more than 93 per cent of the company’s energy mix is now sourced from natural gas, a cleaner alternative to diesel, while investments in renewable energy, including expanded solar capacity, continue to increase.
Beyond emissions, the company reported significant improvements in resource efficiency.
Eze said water consumption fell by 15 per cent between 2024 and 2025 following stricter conservation measures and continuous monitoring of production processes.
“Water is a finite resource. We have established benchmarks to ensure that every year we reduce the amount of water used in our operations. Every day, we monitor our water-use ratio to ensure responsible consumption,” he said.
Energy efficiency also improved during the reporting period, with the company’s energy-use ratio declining by seven per cent from 0.44 megajoules per litre of beverage produced in 2024 to 0.41 megajoules in 2025.
Eze attributed the improvement to investments in technology, behavioural changes among employees and greater operational discipline.
He noted that Rite Foods now operates an integrated energy system combining natural gas and solar power while progressively reducing its dependence on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
“The less we use AGO and the more we rely on solar and natural gas, the better we optimise our energy efficiency,” he said.
The company also recorded notable progress in waste management.
According to Eze, Rite Foods reduced its solid waste ratio by 27 per cent, from 10.6 grams per litre of beverage produced in 2024 to 7.71 grams in 2025, as it intensifies efforts to recover and recycle production waste.
Through its “Rite on the Beach” initiative, the company recovered more than 42 tonnes of plastic waste from coastal communities in Lagos during the year, while another 558.2 tonnes of plastic were collected through the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance.
The recovered plastic labels were recycled into school bags distributed to more than 2,000 pupils.
Explaining the initiative, Eze said the company conducted monthly clean-up exercises and launched the “Plastic July” campaign in partnership with the Renewables Network to encourage households to collect and return plastic waste.
“We distributed free collection packs to shoppers so they could take them home, gather plastic waste and return it to us. Those initiatives enabled us to recover over 42 tonnes of plastics from the project,” he said.
Rite Foods also increased spending on social investment during the year.
The company invested N581.92 million in community development programmes in 2025, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous year.
Employee training hours rose by 76 per cent, total workforce increased by 6.1 per cent, while employment from host communities grew by 4.1 per cent.
Eze said Rite Foods currently employs about 3,000 people directly and supports more than 12,000 indirect jobs across its value chain.
“A business does not create jobs only for its direct employees. It creates opportunities for thousands of Nigerians across the value chain,” he said.
On corporate governance, Eze said the company continues to strengthen internal controls, enterprise risk management and regulatory compliance as part of efforts to maintain investor and stakeholder confidence.
He noted that the 2025 Sustainability Report underwent independent limited assurance by Ernst & Young despite the absence of any regulatory requirement to do so.
“We undertook the assurance process voluntarily because we want to demonstrate to our stakeholders that integrity and accountability matter,” he said.
He added that sustainability oversight resides at board level through the Board Audit and Risk Committee, which monitors sustainability performance and associated risks.
Chairman of the Board Audit and Risk Committee, Kunle Elebute, said the committee would continue strengthening governance and assurance processes as sustainability reporting expectations evolve.
“As sustainability reporting expectations continue to expand, the Board Audit and Risk Committee remains committed to strengthening oversight, enhancing assurance and supporting the Board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities,” he said.
Also speaking, the company’s Head of Legal Services, Oluyemi Lawal-Daki, said sustainability has become integral to Rite Foods’ long-term business strategy and national development objectives.
“It is the way we want to grow. It is the way we want to contribute to this country. We want Nigerians to hold us accountable for the impact our operations have on the economy,” she said.
The 2025 Sustainability Report is Rite Foods’ latest disclosure on its environmental, social and governance performance as manufacturers face growing investor, regulatory and consumer expectations to improve transparency, reduce emissions and strengthen sustainable business practices.
