Deliveroo makes recycling a priority with The Loop tie-up

Deliveroo is partnering with The Loops, a local startup to bring corporate recycling programmes to its Deliveroo for Business and restaurant partners. Kickstarting the new campaign in June 2021, Deliveroo will encourage its corporate clients and restaurant partners to take part in the new scheme, which will empower and encourage businesses to have a long-lasting recycling programme.

Through the initiative, Deliveroo hopes to create greener and more sustainable work environments, as well as raise awareness towards recycling within the Hong Kong community.  

Recognising the rise in plastic waste due to the rise of eCommerce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deliveroo is eager to offer solutions and make an impact on reducing the amount of waste connected to the F&B industry. The move comes as sustainability and recycling movements have gained steam across Hong Kong and the region.

According to the brand, nearly 20% of Deliveroo restaurant partners have reported a decline in disposable cutlery requests since the first quarter of this year. Additionally, 70% of surveyed Deliveroo for business partners noted that they would be interested in a recycling scheme if Deliveroo were to offer one, demonstrating that the F&B sector is keen to adopt greener business practices and support the cause for sustainability.

Founded in 2019, The Loops is committed to improving recycling problems in Hong Kong, and providing home recycling services to the public. Their goal is to further expand the recycling network, reduce waste, and improve Hong Kong's local recycling system. Through the partnership with Deliveroo, The Loops will help facilitate a monthly onsite recycling station, which also provides a transparency report on recycling, reliable end-point treatment of recyclables, and educational tools on recycling and The Loops systems. Once the recyclables have been collected, The Loops will help sort the materials and turn them into recyclable goods, such as food containers and bags.

Spencer Miau, Head of Deliveroo for Business Hong Kong, said that as offices across the city begin to reopen and welcome their staff back, it’s a great time to introduce and implement a recycling programme that’s accessible to the office space. “The pandemic has caused a rise in single-use plastics and disposable materials; like any other industry, food delivery needs to be conscious of carbon footprint and proactively take steps to reduce waste; that's why we've paired up with The Loops to sponsor this exciting initiative. We know how daunting implementing an independent recycling programme in an office can be and that’s why we’re here to help. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to extend our CSR efforts and team up with a home-grown company, with similar values to our own, who are looking to take the lead in their industry to make a difference,” Miau said.

Jorch Wong, founder of The Loops, added that the F&B sector in particular has expressed a lot of sentiment in recent years to reform the ways in which they recycle and develop new sustainability practices. “This presents a really exciting opportunity for us to be working with Deliveroo, and make a difference together, by addressing ongoing recycling concerns. We appreciate their efforts to encourage more adoption of eco-friendly practices,” Wong added.

The CSR effort is among some of the initiatives launched by Deliveroo in the past year. Past initiatives include partnering with local designers to offer tote bags and lunch boxes to encourage Deliveroo customers to reduce their single-use plastic habits, signing WWF’s Plastic ACTion Initiative (PACT) to reduce the use of single-use plastics, and introducing the cutlery opt-out feature on the mobile app in 2018.