Deliveroo dives deep into sustainability with new round of rider upskilling programme

Deliveroo has partnered with a local charitable organisation A Plastic Ocean Foundation (APOF) to launch an additional rider upskilling programme covering recycling and STEM education as part of its HK1$million investment in sustainability initiatives.

The programme comes as a continuation of the existing 700+ OpenClassrooms courses under Deliveroo Rider Academy and the scholarship programme for riders. The expansion reinforces Deliveroo’s commitment to supporting the longterm development and growth of riders through upskilling programmes, while driving the sustainable development of the city.

Under the partnership, Deliveroo riders can sign up for the 19-hour vocational training programme - Green Collar. Through theory classes, hands-on workshops at recycling facilities and field visits, riders will learn the ins and outs of the recycling industry. They will also have the opportunity to promote clean recycling practices and sustainable lifestyles to residents of rural villages and low-density housing by providing hands-on recycling services and educational workshops.

Furthermore, riders will be put in charge of organising at least 24 plastic recycling stations and collecting 7,200 cleaned plastic bottles for APOF’s recycling partners. Riders who complete the programme will be presented with certifications by APOF which will be recognised by designated recycling parties as valid working experience, paving their way for successful career development in the green sector. 

To recognise riders’ professionalism and their commitment to service excellence, Deliveroo will also invest HK$1 million to encourage HongKongers to tip more generously by matching customers’ tips up to HK$10 per order from 22 May to 10 June. 

In order to ramp up its green and sustainable offerings, Deliveroo is also supporting APOF's STEM4Ocean programme, which consists of a series of workshops, site visits and creative hackathon. Designed exclusively for the children of Deliveroo riders, the initiative will focus on environmental protection through science education. Developed under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, children will be learning a wide range of topics from renewable energy sources to plastic pollution prevention, ocean conservation, in addition to various technological solutions used for recycling such as AI, robotics, water chemistry and physics over 15 different learning activities.

Guided by APOF trainers, participating children will visit the backstage of a local aquarium and build robotic fish to understand how the creatures adapt and evolve to aquatic environments. APOF’s education centre in Ha Pak Nai will also offer an Naturebased Solution (NbS) programme on bamboos, explaining how the bark is used to remediate soils contaminated with heavy metal. Riders and their families will also take a trip to APOF’s Sustainable Pearl Oyster Cultivation Farm in Sai Kung, and learn how to clean oysters in order to keep them happy and healthy, in addition to how they can be used as a nature-based solution to filter and clean seawater. Children will also be given chances to participate in a design thinking workshop, combining the knowledge they have learned and their creativity to build a prototype housing that will withstand flooding during heavy rainfalls.

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Andrew Hui, general manager, Deliveroo Hong Kong, said: “Deliveroo is committed to sustainability and environmental protection. We strive to stay in line with the government and broader society’s drive to create a greener earth and contribute in any way that we can to inspire more eco talents and careers among our riders and their families. Our past beach clean-ups and bamboo plantation initiatives in partnership with APOF were well-received by our riders and their families. Thus, we are very excited to extend the partnership by launching the Green Collar and STEAM4Ocean programmes as we help our riders and their families develop lifelong learning skills for contemporary life in the city.”

Willy Kwong, director, A Plastic Ocean Foundation , said: “Everyone at APOF is so excited to have Deliveroo riders on board as we teach them what is needed to become leaders in the recycling sector and help them explore internship programmes, helping them start a career in this rapidly growing industry. In addition, we are so looking forward to having their children join us as we embrace sustainability and help raise emerging eco-leaders to take the reins in our journey towards a greener world.” 

Back in August last year, Deliveroo partnered up with APOF to save Ha Pak Lai’s beach and prevent soil erosion through a series of beach clean-ups and the planting of bamboo trees. It committed to a series of clean-up operations Ha Pak Lai until the end of 2023 as part of APOF's #OneTonneLess programme. According to the company, there will be a total of 250 Deliveroo employees, riders, and their family members participating in the campaign.

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