Corporate Commitment to Innovation in Packaging for Sustainability in Nigeria’s Manufacturing Sector: Evidence from South West Nigeria

Abstract

In response to escalating environmental concerns and regulatory pressures, sustainable packaging has become a strategic priority for manufacturing firms worldwide. Despite this global shift, empirical evidence on how corporate commitment drives packaging innovation for sustainability within Nigeria’s manufacturing sector remains limited. This study examines the extent of corporate commitment and its influence on sustainable packaging innovation among manufacturing firms in South West Nigeria, drawing on Stakeholder Theory and the Triple Bottom Line framework. Adopting a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 296 manufacturing firms across Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression techniques. The results indicate a moderately high level of corporate commitment to sustainability, particularly among large firms, with management support, budget allocation, and procurement alignment emerging as critical enablers. Recyclable materials (72.3%) and design optimization (66.9%) were identified as the most widely adopted packaging innovations. A strong and statistically significant positive relationship was found between corporate commitment and the extent of packaging innovation (r = 0.611, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that sustained organisational commitment plays a pivotal role in translating sustainability intentions into concrete innovation outcomes, while structural barriers such as high material costs, limited supplier support, and weak regulatory enforcement continue to constrain progress. The study contributes to the environmental management and sustainability literature by providing context-specific empirical evidence from an emerging economy and by demonstrating how internal corporate commitment conditions the effectiveness of sustainability-oriented innovation. Policy implications include the need for enhanced fiscal incentives, strengthened sustainable supply chains, and the institutionalisation of sustainability training within manufacturing firms to support long-term packaging innovation in Nigeria.
Keywords
Sustainable packaging, corporate commitment, manufacturing sector, Stakeholder Theory, environmental innovation