The European Union (EU), in collaboration with the Nigerian federal government, has launched a campaign to promote sustainable waste management within the fashion and textile sector. The initiative aligns with the United Nations (UN) international zero waste agenda, aiming to curb the environmental and social fallout of the industry’s linear production model.
Speaking at the 2025 International Zero Waste Day held in Abuja on 4 April, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot, highlighted the global scale of textile waste, which currently stands at an alarming 92 million tonnes annually. He warned that the environmental degradation and health risks associated with this waste disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and biodiversity.
“The use of fossil fuel-based synthetic fibres contributes to microplastic pollution, harming ecosystems and human health. Discarded clothing often leads to open dumping, burning, and severe environmental and social consequences, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. This is why the EU continues to work closely with our Nigerian partners to address waste generation problems associated with the linear economy in Nigeria,” Mignot said.
He also outlined the EU’s broader efforts to champion the circular economy in Nigeria. The EU, alongside the Federal Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), co-chairs the Nigeria Circular Economy Working Group. This platform brings together key stakeholders to implement circular principles aimed at achieving inclusive green growth.
Among the group’s major initiatives are the National Policy on Waste Battery Management (2021), NESREA’s National Environmental Regulation on Plastic Waste Control (2023), and the National Circular Economy Roadmap (2024), unveiled during last year’s Zero Waste Day.
“Our latest project with UNIDO is to address waste from the renewable energy sector, like solar panels and batteries,” Mignot added.
He further emphasised the vast economic and environmental potential of circular practices across sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy, fashion, and the arts. “The truth of the matter is about ensuring that products never become waste—that products and materials are kept in circulation through maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, and recycling or composting. The gains can be enormous for climate, biodiversity, land, air, and water quality, and equally so for the economy and for the people. The waste-to-wealth transition is possible and is already happening.”
Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Innocent Barikor, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to advancing circular economy principles. “Because we are at the forefront of promoting the circular economy, it excites us when we are part and parcel of a configuration of this nature that attempts to promote—and indeed, promotes—the circular economy, encouraging our people to begin to accept zero waste. We want to thank the European Union for always being there. Moving forward, we believe that there is more space to work on, and we will be glad to continue to explore the various possibilities and opportunities that this space provides for us in terms of our work. We look forward to more collaboration and partnership.”
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal—represented by Ms Omotunde Adeola, Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health—commended the EU, NESREA, and local NGOs for their joint efforts.
Adeola said that “Nigeria faces significant waste management challenges in the textile sector. The fashion industry is rapidly growing, resulting in an increase in textile waste. Fashion encourages a take-make-dispose approach, resulting in massive amounts of waste. Nigeria has immense potential—from fashion and textiles to waste-to-art innovations—highlighting the country’s immense potential for advancing a circular economy through upcycled art, eco-entrepreneurship, and innovative waste solutions. The Federal Ministry of Environment remains dedicated to advancing policies and recognising the urgent need to address the challenges of waste management in all sectors.”
