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If your path to sustainability is through your stomach, foodpanda is now offering an easy way to make your dietary decisions.
foodpanda launched Green Label on Jul. 26, described as a first-of-its-kind programme by a food delivery company in Singapore to help drive the sustainability movement through a restaurant certification scheme.
What is the Green Label about?
Under this programme, restaurants that have registered their interest are assessed based on their sustainable practices against a set of criteria.
foodpanda will look at a restaurant’s efforts in areas such as waste reduction, sustainable packaging, carbon reduction and social welfare, among others.
Some of the more specific criteria for restaurants are:
- Whether they offer vegetarian, vegan-friendly options or plant-based alternatives
- Whether they offer sustainable or reusable packaging
- Whether they use single-use plastic or plastic bags for delivery
- Establish partnerships with food waste-reducing organisations like Food Bank and other charities
- Reduce food waste via composting
- Engage in carbon-offsetting activities
Restaurants are given the Green Label certification if they meet the requirements.
foodpanda users can then browse the list of Green Label-certified restaurants available through the foodpanda app.
According to foodpanda, the initiative is part of their efforts to help meet the Singapore Green Plan 2030 sustainability targets by promoting restaurants that use locally-sourced ingredients, sustainable packaging, and those that are taking concrete steps to reduce food waste.
How does the accreditation work?
The Green Label certification framework was developed by foodpanda with guidance from PACT SG, an initiative by World Wildlife Fund Singapore to reduce waste.
The auditing process is carried out by Zero Waste SG, a non-governmental organisation focused on raising awareness about waste reduction in Singapore.
Annual reviews will be conducted with the restaurant partners.
Laura Kantor, Director of Marketing and Sustainability, foodpanda Singapore, said that with clearly laid-out assessment criteria, it would be easier for restaurants to learn where they stand in terms of sustainability, as well as for consumers to support environmentally-friendly brands.
49 restaurant partners
49 restaurant partners with over 900 outlets across Singapore have received the Green Label.
These include Starbucks, Domino's, KOI Thé, Guzman Y Gomez, Swensen’s, Kimly Dim Sum, Jollibean, and VeganBurg.
Users can now find these restaurants through the foodpanda app under the “Sustainability made simple” tile.
Green Label-certified restaurant partners get exclusive benefits, such as complimentary marketing by foodpanda, educational workshops, and resources on sustainability measures to help support their green practices.
Cultivating sustainable habits important: Khor
The launch event was officiated by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor.
Image via foodpanda
Speaking at the launch and in a later panel discussion, Khor pointed out two notable areas of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 that are relevant to the food and beverage industry — reducing food waste and food security.
Khor highlighted that food waste was one of the largest waste streams in Singapore, with 817,000 tonnes of food waste generated in 2021.
This number will likely increase “if we do not make efforts to produce and consume food sustainably”, Khor added.
To reduce that number, it is important to cultivate sustainable habits, Khor said.
Khor shared that she was happy that foodpanda is encouraging its F&B partners as well as its customers to consume more sustainably by encouraging sustainable packaging and locally-sourced ingredients.
With foodpanda providing marketing support of up to S$80,000 for qualifying vendors to improve their sales and visibility, the initiative shows that “if you do good for the environment, it also does well for your bottom line”, Khor added.
Top image via foodpanda riders/Facebook