Zomato, the online food delivery behemoth, said on Friday that all deliveries would be plastic-free starting in May 2022, with a goal of delivering over 100 million extra eco-friendly food delivery orders over the following three years.
“From now on, every meal you order through Zomato will be 100 percent plastic neutral, which means we will voluntarily recycle more than 100 percent of all plastic utilized in your order’s packaging,” Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a Blogspot post.
He stated that the firm recognises the need of beginning to promote biodegradable and other non-plastic alternatives in order for them to become as inexpensive and accessible as plastic is now. Over the following three years, the firm plans to deliver over 100 million extra eco-friendly meal delivery orders.
To achieve this, Goyal said, “We have started working with cutting edge ISO-certified plastic waste management organisations, who will partner with municipalities across India, to collect and responsibly process plastic waste.”
Zomato is also “stepping up our efforts to produce and promote sustainable packaging for all sorts of cuisines,” Goyal said, adding that there is still more work to be done to totally minimise or eliminate the use of plastic in food delivery.
“We are aiming to deliver over 100 million additional eco-friendly food delivery orders (orders in sustainable packaging) over the course of the next three years, by supporting our restaurant partners in switching to affordable and sustainable packaging alternatives,” Goyal said.
To do this, the organisation will collaborate with a variety of stakeholders, including government-led initiatives, social enterprises, and start-ups, who are working on creative solutions and models for the restaurant sector.
The buck does not stop with offsetting/recycling the plastic used for delivery, according to him. This is merely the beginning of a journey toward a cleaner environment. We have a lot more work ahead of us to do everything we can to decrease or eliminate the use of plastic in food delivery altogether…
While acknowledging that this initiative is going to cost Zomato, Goyal said, “This initiative is going to cost us a significant amount of money and of course, going to affect our P&L negatively. However, I strongly believe that what’s good for the planet is good for business. I also believe that profits happen when you do everything else right. And this is surely a step in the right direction.”
