Delivery Hero debuts global PFAS-free plant-based foodservice packaging program

02 Aug 2021 --- Germany-based online food-delivery service Delivery Hero is launching the Sustainable Packaging Program, an international initiative aimed at providing local restaurants with 100 percent plant-based and perfluoroalkoxy-alkanes (PFAS)-free alternatives to plastic packaging. 

The company aims to release 10 million units of environmentally sustainable packaging through the program by the end of 2022. This contributes to its earlier commitment of achieving carbon neutrality by the end of 2021, which it has already achieved for its European and Latin American divisions. 

The program will pilot in Austria, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Qatar, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Foodservice providers in each country will be offered Delivery Hero’s “eco-friendly” packaging alternatives at similar prices to traditional plastics, says the company. 

“The world now knows the impact of plastic on the environment and multiple industries are searching for solutions to move goods that won't take decades or centuries to degrade. Our sustainable packaging program seeks to provide plant-based, compostable packaging to restaurants to displace the existing plastic units,” a Delivery Hero spokesperson tells PackagingInsights. 

Innova Market Insights recently pegged “Home Delivery Haven” as its leading packaging trend for 2021, noting the demand for grocery and premium F&B home delivery has skyrocketed during COVID-19, which presents new challenges and opportunities for consumer packaging.

PFAS chemicals have been linked to health issues including cancer, and may weaken immunity against the COVID-19 virus.BioLutions and Eco-Products 
Delivery Hero collaborates with foodservice packaging specialists BioLutions and Eco-Products to source materials for its packaging range, which includes burger boxes, compartment containers, salad bowls, soup and sauce containers.

Bio-Lutions is a German CleanTech company that has developed a method of mechanically converting agricultural residues into self-binding natural fibers. In 2019, Delivery Hero invested in the company’s technology. 

The patented conversion method eliminates the need for binding agents or chemical fiber extraction. Branded fibcro, the natural fibers have unique bonding properties that also make them extremely durable, says the company. 

Eco-Products is a US-based producer of compostable and recyclable packaging materials. Its products are created using either renewable plant sources such as sugarcane and wheat straw or post-consumer recycled plastics. 

Delivery Hero says it can provide cost-competitive solutions to foodservice industry players looking to improve their environmental sustainability credentials through its two partners. 

“By making sustainable packaging accessible and economically feasible in our markets across four continents, we are creating an effective and scalable way to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions produced by the delivery industry,” adds Jeffrey Oatham, director of corporate social responsibility and sustainability at Delivery Hero. 

Fighting PFAS
Delivery Hero’s Sustainable Packaging Platform comes as increasing legal and public pressure is being leveled against the use of PFAS chemicals in food packaging. 

Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are chemicals that do not break down and leak into public environments if disposed of in landfills. 

Last year, the Mind the Store campaign and non-profit Toxic-Free Future investigated the presence of PFAS chemicals in packaging at food outlets Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s, as well as top health-minded food chains Cava, Freshii, and Sweetgreen. The findings showed all six chains were using PFAS at the time, which is associated with a wide range of health issues.

Recently, a study published by the American Chemical Society called for “meaningful action” on PFAS, pointing to “systematic failures” of US chemical regulation. According to environmental researchers, legislative strides should go beyond legacy contamination clean-up and also reduce current production and uses to limit future exposures. 

By Louis Gore-Langton