Deliveroo’s $2 Million Investment and Collaboration With Sustainabl. Might Just Help With Achieving a Plastic-Free Future

Written By Carina Li

Varsity, 2020

Edited by Michelle Ho

With over 2,300 tones of plastic waste every day, and a recycling rate of just 11%, it is no surprise that Hong Kong has been and is suffering from plastic waste crisis. Many factors contribute to such drastic results such as the absence of proper recycling facilities, normalized unsustainable packaging practices, and limited public knowledge of the risks of plastic pollution. 

Styrofoam packaging issues have also persisted for a long time. According to data, The most common single-use plastics that we encounter every day are food and beverage packaging, one of the biggest contributors, making up to 31.14% of plastic pollution. With that said, this issue is slowly being recognised by citizens and companies in the food and beverage industry. 

Deliveroo HK, an online food delivery company claims that sustainability is their top priority. Through its partnership with Sustainabl., it will be able to encourage restaurant partners to use packaging that is recyclable, compostable at home, or plastic-free. Future platform customers will be able to search specifically for restaurants that provide eco-packaging options. 

Sustainabl. is dedicated to encouraging a low-carbon, zero-waste, circular economy for all, starting with their products designed to act as planet-positive packaging solutions (especially useful and needed in Hong Kong). They offer a variety of products ranging from pizza boxes, lunch boxes, to lockable bowls. All of which are made by reusing raw resources, such as leftover bio-waste produced in the sugarcane and wheat industries. Their products help decrease the amount of wasteful garbage sent to landfills, the pollution of our oceans, and the expansion of deforestation worldwide. Wherever possible, the materials are given a new function after being composted, to reduce waste and lengthen the life cycle by circulation economy.

Locations (restaurant partners on Deliveroo HK) that desire to convert to sustainable materials and, possibly, greener transportation methods will be subsidized by the HK$2 million investment. This will be the first project in Hong Kong to receive funding from the Deliveroo Global Community Fund. 

This sustainable packaging scheme is a crucial step in encouraging/ promoting sustainable living/ lifestyle in the future. To make this possible, besides Sustainabl., there are other companies that specialize in offering sustainable food packaging such as Noissue, Distinctive Action, barePack, Notpla, and Vegware.

Bibliography

  • https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/deliveroo-hong-kong-zero-waste-food-packaging/

  • https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3174324/hong-kongs-throwaway-culture-plastic-waste

  • https://www.sustainablplanet.com/

  • https://hongkongfp.com/2020/12/24/plastic-pandemic-hits-hong-kong-as-takeaways-surge-under-covid-19/

Carina Li

Hi! I’m Carina, one of the writers from Project Odyssey, a club that aims to shed light on positive news around the school to promote better welfare within the RCHK community. I enjoy reading, listening to music, and spending quality time with family and friends. I joined because my values align with Project Odyssey’s, and also to meet new people who share similar interests as me. But as a writer specifically to strengthen my writing skills.

Previous

A Record Number of Baby Quolls Born in Australian Sanctuary
Next

Hong Kong Charity Gives Women from Ethnic Minorities Economic Opportunities