Opening of new job horizons, energy conservation, cost efficiency and environmental regeneration are some of the potential benefits accruable to Nigeria and Africa from the exploration of glass.
This is according to resource persons who shared their thoughts on the importance of Circular Glass at the 2023 World Glass Day Celebration which held at the Tayo Aderinokun Auditorium of the University of Lagos on Friday, April 28, 2023.
The resource persons who were drawn from the academia, automobile industries, tech-companies and other relevant agencies appealed to government at all levels to approve legislations and formulate policies which would aid local production, development, vast availability and maximum applicability of circular glass across all sectors in Nigeria.
The GlassFUTURE2023 held with the theme; “Glass Innovation in Mobility Systems and the Built Environment”, is a follow up to the 2022 edition tagged International Year of Glass (IYOG) in Nigeria.
While welcoming participants, the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Lagos, Professor Modupe Omirin described the gathering as a merger of the town and gown for the purpose of addressing the environmental impact of non-degradable materials through the effective use of circular glass.
Prof. Omirin highlighted on-going efforts across faculties and departments in the university to achieve smart cities. She stressed the need for a paradigm shift from non-degradable materials to circular glass as a way of achieving a vast majority of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In separate remarks, the Chairman and Secretary, Board of Trustees of Arcline Beehive Design Foundation (ANDF), Architect Adeolu Okulaja and Mr Adebayo Okuwobi, respectively, reiterated the many benefits derivable from circular glass especially in Nigeria’s quest to develop capacity and drive the production and adoption of innovative solutions to tackle Co2 emissions.
The duo of Architect Okulaja and Mr. Okuwobi emphasised the need for collaborations among industry players to develop a sustainable transport system for Nigeria.
Guest speakers at the event included the Director, Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Centre, UNLAG, Professor Sunday Adebisi; an Environmental Sustainability and Waste Management Consultant, Dr Femi Idowu-Adegoke; representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Adeoye Babajide; among others.
They all lamented the dearth of infrastructure, legislation, business model and industry collaboration in the promotion of circular glass in Nigeria.
The speakers were unanimous in the call for incentives as a way of encouraging the recycling of circular glass across Nigeria, as well as creation of a national policy which would engender the promotion and optimization of circular glass usage across Nigeria
It would be recalled that the International Year of Glass celebration hosted in UNILAG on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 was marked with the official turning of the sod for a Circular Glass Innovation Hub as performed by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
