NESREA’s plastic packaging regulations defended as 25-50% rPET mandate reshapes Nigerian policy

NIGERIA – The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency has firmly rejected calls to suspend Nigeria’s new plastic packaging regulations, arguing that the policy will unlock investment and create jobs while implementing a phased 25% recycled PET content requirement from January 2028, rising to 50% by 2030.

NESREA Director-General Prof. Innocent Barikor defended the National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations, 2026, against criticisms by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, insisting the country can no longer afford a plastics economy where packaging products flood the market without responsibility for their recovery and disposal.

Barikor described the regulations as a national environmental and circular economy instrument designed to reduce plastic pollution, strengthen producer accountability and stimulate recycling markets. 

He clarified the 80-micron provision applies only to specific plastic carrier bags and does not constitute a blanket prohibition on plastic packaging across food, beverage, pharmaceutical or agricultural sectors. 

NESREA confirmed the regulations would not impose immediate disruption, with mandatory recycled PET content beginning at 25 per cent on 1 January 2028 and increasing to 50 per cent from 1 January 2030. 

How Phased rPET Mandate and Polluter-Pays Principle Reshape Nigeria’s Packaging Landscape

NESREA argued that suspending the regulations would create regulatory uncertainty, delay investment decisions and weaken producer accountability. 

The agency noted the framework is guided by the internationally recognised polluter-pays principle, requiring producers to share responsibility for recovery and environmentally sound management of packaging they introduce to the market. 

NESREA maintained the policy will create investment opportunities in collection, sorting, recycling, packaging innovation, logistics and compliance services, with potential to generate thousands of green jobs across both formal and informal sectors. 

The agency stressed that the requirement for recycled PET used for compliance must be sourced locally from certified food-grade producers, aimed at boosting Nigeria’s domestic recycling industry and conserving foreign exchange.

Why NESREA Rejects Claims of Increased Consumer Prices and Industry Disruption

NESREA rejected MAN’s claims that compliance costs would increase consumer prices, arguing the country already pays heavily for inaction through environmental remediation, sanitation burdens and flood damage. 

The agency noted the regulations establish a Central Data Collection Platform, producer reporting systems and compliance monitoring frameworks to improve data on plastic production and recycling. 

NESREA extended an olive branch to manufacturers, proposing structured engagement on implementation guidelines, compliance timelines, producer responsibility schemes and support mechanisms for industrial transition. 

The regulator insisted the objective is not to weaken manufacturing but to reposition Nigeria’s packaging sector for competitiveness in a world increasingly driven by sustainability, traceability and producer accountability.

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