By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Hundreds of AXA Mansard employees recently sensitised members of the public on the impact of waste on water through the Trash To Treasure Initiative.
They collected waste from their homes, offices, and the environment to improve the health of marine life and raise awareness about the required behavioural change to mitigate the impact of climate change.
The workers embarked on this campaign to commemorate the company’s annual sustainability week, AXA Week for Good, which is a significant part of the organisation’s global volunteering programme, AXA Hearts In Action (AHIA), aimed to contribute to positive societal and environmental impacts through employee volunteering, expertise, related financial support, and in-kind donations.
Proceeds from trash collected from the exercise will be used by the employees to provide health insurance for children in vulnerable communities under the Chess-In-Slums Africa Foundation.
The Chief Client Officer of AXA Mansard, Ms Rashidat Adebisi, said the theme of the scheme presents the organisation with an opportunity to demonstrate the social, economic, and environmental benefits of recycling waste.
She said according to reports, 88 per cent of plastic waste in Nigeria is not recycled, which puts Nigeria among the top 20 contributors to marine debris globally.
“Through the AHIA, our employees do not just give time to great causes; we work together for a better future.
“We share our knowledge and expertise as a people with a shared purpose of acting for human progress by protecting what matters; by helping vulnerable communities around us,” she stated.
Ms Adebisi noted that the company’s theme of Trash To Treasure is to show how waste can be better used to provide health care, fight hunger, and create jobs through recycling, upcycling, and other means of circularity.
“So, what our initiative demonstrates is that waste, if properly managed, can be of great value, rather than something that threatens our collective well-being and poses a great danger to our world.
“Our Initiative also captures the two main pillars of AXA’s sustainability agenda: climate change and inclusive protection.
“Removing waste from waterways and our environment supports our climate change and biodiversity pillar and using the proceeds from it to provide access to health insurance for vulnerable children addressing our Inclusive protection pillar,” she explained.