Management consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Nigeria, has raised awareness for the environmental, health and climate impact of improper waste disposal in drainages, rivers, seas and ocean.
One of its activities in raising this awareness was a beach clean-up exercise done in partnership with Recyclan, a multinational recycling company and HB Imagino, a recycling supply chain consultant, to reduce the level of plastic waste pollution and create jobs for women in the sorting and plastic waste collection process.
BCG Nigeria employees, while demonstrating the collective responsibility of making the world safe and free of any health threat, picked up plastic waste and other refuse littering the shoreline of the Oniru Beach in Lagos, a popular relaxation spot and tourist destination for locals as well as foreigners.
The exercise, which was held on Thursday, April 14, 2022, was in commemoration of the World Health Day, and in line with BCG’s climate action and social impact mandate.
The 2022 World Health Day, themed “Our Planet, Our Health”, seeks urgent actions to improve the quality of air, water and food to keep humans and the planet healthy.
The consulting firm noted that the clean-up exercise would help to prevent coastal trash that has been tossed up by ocean waves from re-entering the sea, protect marine animals as well as plants and allow biodiversity to thrive.
Globally, at least 12 million metric tons of plastic leaks and accumulates in the oceans every year, killing 100,000 marine animals annually, according to UN figures. These wastes do not decay but are transformed into micro-plastics that contaminate water and marine life, increasing the rate of cancer and greenhouse gas emissions.
Tolu Oyekan, Partner and Head of BCG Nigeria, said, “We are deeply concerned about the increasing rate of pollution of our water bodies as these wastes contain dangerous chemicals that find their way to the global food chain.
“Pollution of the marine environment threatens the health of fishes and other marine animals, food safety and quality, human health, tourism, and contributes to climate change. There is an urgent need to check indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste and other refuse in order to prevent the adverse health and environmental consequences of water pollution.
“Now is the time for everyone to work with the surrounding beach communities to keep our ocean clean and free from contaminants that will jeopardise our health and make our world dangerous to live in.”
The firm pledged to continue to contribute its quota to environmental safety, sustainability and public health.
