The Alternative Bank is set to launch the inaugural edition of its ‘Walk4ZeroPlastic’ campaign on Saturday, July 19, 2025, poised to address one of Nigeria’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The initiative will kick off at Tejuosho Market in Yaba, Lagos, a key commercial hub that often bears the brunt of improper waste disposal practices.
This community-driven campaign forms a core part of the World Environment Day Programme of the Sterling Sustainability Working Group. It is designed to mitigate plastic pollution, cultivate responsible waste habits, and drive grassroots environmental advocacy across the city. Anchored on the theme “In Markets, On Streets, For the Future,” the campaign integrates a symbolic community walk with direct plastic recovery efforts, targeted market sensitisation programmes, and on-site sustainability-linked account activations.
Plastic waste represents an environmental burden in Lagos, with busy commercial areas like Tejuosho Market being particularly affected. By mobilizing a group including employees of The Alternative Bank, volunteers, influential market leaders, traders, and local residents, the Walk4ZeroPlastic initiative aims to collect over 10 tonnes of plastic waste. Beyond the immediate clean-up, the campaign seeks to spark conversations around long-term behavioral change and enhance a deeper sense of environmental responsibility within the community.
Hassan Yusuf, managing director and CEO of The Alternative Bank, emphasised the institution’s commitment to the initiative. “As a financial institution with deep roots in community and sustainability, we see this campaign as part of our responsibility to contribute meaningfully to collective efforts addressing the plastic crisis. The reality is, no single organization or sector can solve this problem alone. But by showing up – side by side with local partners, market leaders, and everyday citizens – we can help drive the kind of progress that sticks,” Yusuf stated.
The environmental effort by The Alternative Bank complements Sterling HoldCo’s wider sustainability agenda, aligning with Nigeria’s national Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities. It also resonates with global frameworks such as the emerging Global Plastics Treaty and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, and 13 – Climate Action).
Bunmi Ajiboye, chairperson of the Sterling Sustainability Working Group, reiterated the broader organisational commitment. “We’re proud to play our part in supporting cleaner environments, and we believe that real change happens not in boardrooms, but on the ground, with consistent action and shared purpose. Walk4ZeroPlastic is one of many steps we must take together, and the Sterling Group remains committed to walking that journey with our communities,” Ajiboye stated.
The outreach is a collaborative undertaking, executed with the support of several key partners. These include Wastebanc, the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Sterling ONE Foundation, Rite Foods, Africa Clean-up Initiative, and Foodbank. The multi-stakeholder approach aims to leverage collective resources and expertise to maximise the campaign’s impact on plastic reduction and environmental awareness in Lagos.
