Why manufacturers are opposing Nigeria's proposed plastic ban, see the items that could be affected

• Nigeria is considering a nationwide ban on certain single-use plastic products thinner than 80 microns.

• Items such as lightweight shopping bags, plastic straws, disposable cutlery and thin packaging films could be affected.

• Manufacturers are asking the government to suspend the proposal, warning it could increase costs and hurt businesses.

The Federal Government is proposing one of Nigeria's biggest restrictions on single-use plastics thinner than 80 microns, a move that could affect everything from shopping bags and disposable cutlery to plastic straws. 

Manufacturers are now urging the government to pause the plan, warning it could hurt businesses, raise costs and disrupt jobs before delivering the environmental benefits it promises. 

The regulation in question, the National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations 2026, would prohibit the production and use of single-use plastic products below that thickness threshold, and impose taxes on shopping bags falling between 30 and 50 microns. NESREA is the agency driving the initiative.

MAN's position, laid out in a statement by Director General Segun Ajayi-Kadir, is not that the environmental concern is wrong but that the approach is. 

The association argues that manufacturers would be forced to overhaul machinery, reconfigure production lines and absorb significant capital losses, costs that would inevitably land on consumers already dealing with inflation and shrinking purchasing power.

Small traders, food vendors and market operators who depend on affordable packaging, MAN warned, would feel it most directly.

International precedent, the association argued, supports a more cautious path. Countries including Kenya, Bangladesh and India that pursued outright bans on thin plastics saw factory closures and job losses, with banned products continuing to circulate through informal markets. 

Germany, South Korea and the Netherlands achieved better results by investing in Extended Producer Responsibility systems and recycling infrastructure rather than prohibition.

For the average Nigerian, the Lagos State plastic ban, which took effect in July 2025 at a lower threshold of 40 microns, is a useful reference point for what falls within this category.

The thin, lightweight nylon bags used at markets and roadside stalls, the ones that tear easily and cost almost nothing, are well below the 80-micron mark and would be among the first to go. 

Plastic straws, the kind handed out with drinks at parties, restaurants and fast-food outlets, fall in the same category. 

Disposable plastic cutlery, the forks, knives and spoons packaged with takeaway food, would also be affected, as well as disposable plates widely used by bukas, caterers and event vendors. 

Thin plastic wrapping films used in food packaging and lightweight bags common in supermarkets and open markets round out the list of items most Nigerians interact with daily that would be swept up under the proposed threshold.

Sachet water packs and PET bottles, two of the most used plastic items in Nigeria, are not typically categorised as products below 80 microns and are unlikely to be immediately affected.

MAN has called for the ban to be suspended pending a comprehensive regulatory impact assessment, full implementation of the existing circularity roadmap, and a proper stakeholder consultation process before any new prohibition regime is introduced.

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