Fan Milk, a leading manufacturer of dairy products, has carried out a series of activities as its way of showing its care for public health and environment. To mark the World Environment Day in Lagos, the company launched One Planet One Health, an initiative borne out of the belief that a healthy body needs healthy food, while healthy food needs a healthy planet and ecosystem in which to grow.
Also, in commemoration of 100 years of Danone, its parent company, Fan Milk engaged in the planting of 100 trees in public places and beautified a roundabout in Oregun, Ikeja. In his welcome address, Olumide Adedeji, human resources manager, Fan Milk, said his organisations has shown over the years through various initiatives that everyone has something to gain if our planet remains healthy, stressing that “caring for public health and environmental safety is in our DNA.”
Speaking at the event, Herve Berrere, managing director, Fan Milk Plc, said that One Planet One Health embodies Danone’s commitment to positive environmental impact. “As we celebrate World Environment Day, we are strongly reminded that we have a duty of care to look after our planet, our home, in order to be able to leave a legacy for those coming after us to enjoy and build upon. It is these considerations that have led us at Fan Milk to launch One Planet One Health in Nigeria as a part of the global call from Danone to bring health to our company and its ecosystem, to our planet, and to generations of people, now and in the future.
“For us, One Planet means that we embrace the vision for sustainable business practices, ensuring that our business activities do not have a negative effect on our communities and our planet. As an organisation, we are contributing our quota to preserving and renewing the planet resources by putting our resources behind the recycling of plastics and freezers. Working with partners with like passion, we reduce plastic footprint by collecting plastics and bring back for recycling, thereby reducing waste to landfill, improving environmental sanitation, creating wealth through and obeying extended producer responsibility tenet. We have a strong belief that the health of the people and the health of the planet are interconnected and for us, our commitment to manufacturing and marketing healthy, nutritious and enjoyable dairy food products remains unwavering,” Berrere said.
While commending Fan Milk for its efforts towards combating climate change, Abiodun Bamgboye, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry for the Environment, said any corporate body that prioritises public health environment will always enjoy the partmership of government, adding that doing so is in line with the theme for the 2019 World Environment Day, which is ‘air pollution.’
Following the launch, management executives of Fan Milk and other distinguished guests, including representatives of the Ministry of Education and the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) unveiled the adoption of a roundabout on Billingsway Road, Oregun, which the company has beautified in partnership with LASPARK. Guests were then invited to take part in the tree planting ceremony commemorating 100 years of Danone. Speaking after the tree planting exercise, Mrs. Bilkis Abiola, general manager of LASPARK (represented by Mrs. Funmi Dawodu), stated that the agency relishes the opportunity to work with corporate organisations to make a positive impact on the environment.
“At LASPARK, our vision is to build a greener, healthier Lagos. We know it is a big task and one we cannot achieve alone and so we always welcome the opportunity to work with organisations like Fan Milk on projects like this one that will have a positive impact on our environment and move us towards our goal of 10 million trees by 2020,” she said. Also present at the event were students from the Wetlands & Biodiversity for Secondary Schools programme, which Fan Milk runs in partnership with the Ministry for the Environment.
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