Rite Foods Limited, a market leader in the food and beverage industry, and Popbeach Club have unveiled the 2024 edition of ‘Riteonthebeach’ Festival with a Symposium for students of tertiary institutions in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Law Faculties to create awareness on the values inherent in ecological preservation. The event was held in Lagos, on Monday, 11th November 2024.
The Festival which is in its fourth year and the beginning of the ‘Riteonthebeach’ Residency programme, is intended to unlock the value in plastic, the environment, and human development using data collected through scientific methods, and to provide a realistic valuation for the importance of saving the Lagos Western Peninsula and its adjacent mangrove forests.
This partnership between Rite Foods and Popbeach Club, a Lagos Eco-Resort, is conceived to combat ocean plastic pollution, improve literacy, and create employment opportunities by facilitating the exchange of waste plastic for recycling and education scholarships for children in shoreline communities.
In his remark, the Head, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at Rite Foods Limited, Mr. Ekuma Eze who was represented by Dennis Aideloje, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Manager, Rite Foods Limited, said, “Riteonthebeach is part of the company's commitment to proffering sustainable solutions to the plastic menace and equipping young Nigerians with the insights and skills needed to address the challenges of climate change.”
“Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that litter the beaches and waterways require immediate action and through the ‘Riteonthebeach’ Symposium, Rite Foods hopes to ignite a sense of purpose that drives each participant to take responsibility for eliminating plastics on the coastline”, he added.
Eze reiterated that, “If plastics continue to choke the nation's waterways and shorelines, the capacity to absorb carbon and support biodiversity will be drastically reduced, hence the need to keep them free from plastics which can be recycled into other useful products.”
Akin Disu, the Founder of Popbeachclub averred that the new project will remove the plastics, process and recycle onsite to plastic pellets, and a whole lot more using blockchain technology for transparency. He said by using technology and data, ‘Rite On The Beach’ can create tools to determine a realistic valuation for the region and provide the required developmental capital to deliver sustainable growth to the region.
"Our aim is to provide a template for ecological preservation and sustainable development of rural communities through collaboration and community engagement", he stated.
According to Disu, while eco-tourism is a cornerstone of ‘Riteonthebeach’ mission, the shift towards carbon accountability is of crucial importance, in line with Lagos State's significant step to carbon neutrality, a global requirement for responsible development.
He said over the past three years, the ecological conservation project has removed approximately 30 tons of plastic bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for recycling, and has created jobs, scholarships, and training for over 1,000 youths in coastal communities.
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