Indian online food delivery platform Zomato has announced that it will become fully plastic-neutral with every meal order delivery from this month.
To achieve this status, the company will voluntarily recycle more plastic than it uses in its food packaging.
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As part of this initiative, Zomato is collaborating with organisations certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
These groups will be responsible for collecting and processing plastic waste by partnering with municipalities across India.
Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said: “The mission to shrink plastic from our world will take a mammoth commitment from all of us.
“But just talking about reducing plastic won’t reduce plastic in our world; our actions have to speak louder than words.”
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By GlobalDataIn addition, Zomato aims to deliver more than 100 million orders using sustainable packaging in the next three years.
To achieve this, the company will support its restaurant partners in transitioning to affordable and sustainable packaging alternatives.
It will also partner with companies that provide packaging for the restaurant industry, including government-led initiatives, social enterprises and start-ups.
Goyal added: “This initiative is going to cost us a significant amount of money and of course, going to affect our profits and losses 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.”
These initiatives are part of Zomato’s wider efforts to reduce its plastic waste output.
The company has already made ‘no cutlery required’ the default option on its platform, allowing 74% of its orders to be fulfilled without cutlery.
Last month, the Indian branch of consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) achieved plastic waste-neutral status for the fiscal year 2021-22.
