Regional online food delivery and q-commerce platform Talabat has launched a sustainable packaging program to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions across the region, starting with pilot operations in the UAE and Qatar. The launch is part of Delivery Hero’s (Talabat’s parent company) global rollout of the program, across eight markets.

Talabat’s new packaging, which will be available for select restaurant partners and vendors to adopt, is 100 percent plant-based and contains no perfluoroalkoxy-alkanes (PFA), which are commonly known as forever chemicals, and cannot be broken down by nature. The packaging has also been rigorously tested to meet food safety, quality assurance, sustainability, and ethical supply standards.

Research conducted by Delivery Hero underlined that consumers want a more sustainable delivery ecosystem; 92 percent of customers in the UAE would consider ordering from restaurants that offer sustainable packaging, while two-thirds of customers in the UAE would order more from a restaurant that offers sustainable packaging.

Tomaso Rodriguez, CEO of Talabat, said that the organization is committed to creating a sustainable delivery ecosystem.

“Globally, I think everyone can agree that a plastic-free world is imperative. Statistics from the National Geographic and Ellen McArthur Foundation show that currently 91 percent of the world’s plastic is not recycled — and 70 percent of plastic ends up in landfills or the natural environment. By 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish. That is the enormity of the challenge that as a planet, we are facing. 

“Regionally, our ultimate goal is to create a more sustainable delivery ecosystem by constantly introducing industry-leading standards and innovations, and that every product purchased through our Talabat platform be delivered in sustainable packaging,” said Rodriguez.

“However, this is not a short-term or medium-term fix. Through introducing our sustainable packaging program to the region as a pilot, we are aiming to influence the reduction of food packaging wastage.”

He added: “Also, as part of Delivery Hero, who are introducing this same initiative initially in seven other markets around the globe — Qatar, Austria, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary and Singapore — we are able to produce this packaging at scale, with the aim of deploying 10 million units globally by the end of 2022, which makes it a cost-effective solution to normal packaging for our restaurant partners and vendors.”