MAN opposes NESREA’s 80-micron single-use plastic ban over job, investment risks

NIGERIA – The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has called for the immediate suspension of NESREA’s proposed ban on single-use plastics below 80 microns, warning that the regulation threatens thousands of jobs, undermines investments in the plastics value chain, and could increase dependence on imported alternatives.

The proposed National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations 2026 would prohibit single-use plastic products below 80 microns, impose taxes on shopping bags with wall thicknesses ranging from 30 to 50 microns, and restrict a wide range of plastic products listed under the Eleventh Schedule. 

Nigeria currently generates approximately 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with less than 10 percent formally recycled. 

MAN Director-General Segun Ajayi-Kadir expressed concern that the plan was premature and lacked sufficient empirical justification. 

He noted that the implementation of an 80-micron threshold would require substantial changes in manufacturing processes, machinery configurations and raw material consumption, rendering existing investments obsolete. 

Why MAN Says Existing 2024 Plastic Circularity Roadmap Must Be Implemented First

MAN recalled that the Federal Government, through the National Plastic Action Partnership, developed a comprehensive Plastic Circularity Roadmap in 2024 in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment. 

The roadmap provides a framework for achieving plastic waste reduction through enhanced collection systems, recycling infrastructure, Extended Producer Responsibility, circular economy initiatives, public awareness campaigns and investments in waste management. Ajayi-Kadir regretted that the recommendations contained in the roadmap have yet to be implemented. 

He questioned why the government was proceeding with a new prohibition regime without first evaluating the effectiveness of existing measures and implementing the agreed roadmap. 

He also noted that there has been no publicly available assessment of the impact of previously restricted single-use plastic products in Nigeria.

How International Bans Failed While EPR Systems Succeeded

MAN cited international experience, noting that Kenya’s 2017 ban on thin plastic bags led to factory closures and job losses, yet banned bags continue to circulate through smuggling and cross-border trade. 

Bangladesh’s 2002 ban remains largely unenforced after two decades, while South Africa and India experienced only temporary reductions before usage rebounded. 

Ajayi-Kadir explained that demand for affordable, lightweight packaging is structural, and when enforcement weakens, plastic consumption inevitably returns. 

He noted that closed factories, displaced workers, lost investments, broken supply chains and abandoned export markets are not automatically restored when policies are relaxed. 

In contrast, MAN stated that countries such as Germany, South Korea and the Netherlands have achieved high recycling rates through Extended Producer Responsibility systems without disrupting local industry or increasing the daily cost of living. 

Ajayi-Kadir further warned that the proposed ban could accelerate deindustrialisation by increasing dependence on imported alternatives, consuming scarce foreign exchange while eroding domestic employment and tax revenues.

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