Just Eat trials packaging return scheme
Just Eat is trialing reusable packaging in a bid to tackle plastic pollution across the takeaway sector.
The delivery giant has teamed up with returnable packaging company Clubzero and six restaurant partners across London who will offer customers the option to have their meals delivered in food boxes that can be returned and reused.
Having enjoyed their meal, customers can arrange for the packaging to be collected via the Clubzero app, or they can drop the items off at designated points.
The boxes used as part of the trial use up to 50% less CO2 than plastic coated boxes and are fully recyclable. Also, every time Clubzero picks up used units, it schedules a drop-off of fresh packaging so that each trip is coordinated to be as eco-friendly as possible.
This new trial will assess the feasibility of rolling it out more widely across the Just Eat network. .
It is estimated that 500 million plastic takeaway boxes are used across the UK takeaway industry each year, and even if these plastic boxes are reused multiple times, they often end up in landfill.
Robin Clark, senior director of global partnerships andsustainability at Just Eat Takeaway.com, said: “Building a more sustainable future for the food delivery industry is extremely important to us. We want to use our reach to support our network adopt more environmentally-friendly products and practices. We’ve already taken a number of positive steps to drive this change, from pioneering the use of seaweed sauce sachets and boxes to increasing the number of electric vehicles we use in food delivery.
“We’re excited to expand our work in this space by launching a new partnership with Clubzero to test a reusable packaging service in the UK. This trial will help us assess how best to roll the service out more widely so that with the support of both customers and restaurant partners, we can continue to tackle plastic pollution across the sector.”
The trial follows on from Just Eat’s existing partnership with sustainable startup Notpla, which has seen the business pilot the use of seaweed-lined home-compostable/disposable packaging.