The convenience and accessibility of food and grocery delivery services have been highly valued in the early 21st century, particularly during the closing of in-house dining during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global online food delivery service is currently valued at $126.91 billion, with future projections for the industry continuing to grow. Not only has the consumer benefitted from food delivery services and contactless delivery, but restaurant owners have also benefited by partnering with delivery apps or setting up their own delivery services.
However, the annual growth rate in the food delivery market isn’t a net positive. Increased emissions from cars, unsustainable packaging, and excess food waste are a few of the environmental problems this food industry poses. Because there are so many different food delivery companies, including the online food delivery market, as well as partner restaurants within those companies, any environmental regulations would have to come from the state or federal government. Learning more about how the food delivery industry as well as the online delivery industry impacts the environment can help you make better-informed choices next time you’re thinking of ordering dinner.
How Does Food Delivery Impact the Environment?
Food delivery services impact the environment in two major ways: waste and emissions. It was seen that lockdowns in Australia caused a 20% increase in household solid waste, partially due to increases in food deliveries. Additionally, if changes aren’t made, it’s projected that carbon emissions from food delivery will rise 32% by 2022, which is around 6 million tons. Understanding how the food delivery industry creates and manages waste is the first step to being able to change the outcomes.
Environmental Waste
Non-sustainable packaging in food delivery is a contributor to environmental waste. Because some of these materials, like single-use plastics, don’t biodegrade, or in the case of styrofoam, take around 500 years to decompose, it’s a net increase in the amount of solid waste generated by the average household. Solid waste contributes to methane emissions.
Food Waste
Restaurants generate around 33 million pounds of food waste per year. This can include food that’s unfinished by customers, food that spoils, and even perfectly good food that’s simply not kept for more than 24 hours due to store policies. When it comes to food delivery, there’s no specific data yet on food waste generated by delivery apps, but you have to consider the possibility of an increase in food waste. For example, food that gets delivered to the wrong place may not be eaten. Deliveries with errors that violate certain diets or would trigger allergic reactions would get wasted. Temperature, quality or even portion size can contribute to food waste from deliveries the same way it does food waste in a restaurant.
Despite its organic nature, food waste has an impact on climate change. When food is wasted, so are the energy, water, and other resources that were used to grow it. Additionally, when food rots, it emits methane gas, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.
Emissions
Transportation is one of the largest offenders of greenhouse gas emissions. The average passenger vehicle or delivery truck, which you need to be employed by virtually any food delivery app, emits 4.6 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. To put this into perspective, Doordash, one of the biggest food delivery apps in the U.S., employs around one million drivers. This is one million cars on the road, making deliveries for just one company. This example illustrates the huge problem that food delivery poses for carbon emissions (carbon dioxide). Increasing the use of transportation in connection with the increase in delivery popularity poses a huge environmental problem.
Finding Eco-Friendly Food Delivery Options
While regulation of the food delivery industry is tricky because of the nature of the business, there are ways that you as a consumer can make greener choices, without having to wait for the business to do it for you. Some of the best practices for finding eco-friendly food delivery include:
- Look for Locally Sourced Options: Check your local restaurants, farms, and grocery stores (including grocery store meals) and see if they have eco-friendly delivery services of their own. Not only will using these services benefit the local business more than going through a third party, but you can also reduce the carbon emissions it takes to get your food to you. Local businesses tend to deliver in a set range, whereas delivery drivers can come from anywhere they’re willing to commute from.
- Find Restaurants with Sustainable Packaging: Ordering from a restaurant with cardboard packaging rather than plastic or styrofoam is another way to be part of sustainable food delivery and enjoy a greener experience. As long as the packaging is free of oils, it can be recycled. Even if it can’t be recycled, cardboard biodegrades much sooner than other synthetic alternatives.
- Opt-out of Single-Use Plastics: If prompted by local or major players in the food industry, opt out of getting plastic silverware or straws with your meal. If you’re getting food delivered to your home, you’ll already have all the utensils you need without adding more single-use plastics to your order. Storing a pair of utensils at your work or in your bag is another way to reduce your need for single-use plastics on the go.
Another way to engage in green food delivery is to opt for meal kits instead of single-meal delivery. Meal kit companies, like Hello Fresh, have a smaller carbon footprint than grocery shopping, and many of these companies are making conscious efforts to reduce food waste. While there are still concerns about shipping and delivery emissions, the scalability of getting multiple meals delivered at once through carbon-neutral delivery still beats single-meal delivery services.
What Can Businesses Do to Help?
There are several ways that business owners can make their delivery services more environmentally friendly while still enjoying the profits of offering delivery services. These options range from low effort to higher commitments, depending on your priorities and resources. Green delivery practices business owners can implement include:
- Route optimization for drivers (RouteManager)
- Switching to recyclable takeout containers
- Reducing delivery hours
- Only providing disposable utensils by request
- Increasing delivery efficiency by having drivers deliver more than one order at a time.
Food is a huge part of our everyday lives, and convenience in food is a big priority for many. However, there are ways that you can still enjoy the convenience of eco-friendly food delivery without sacrificing your environmental beliefs. Knowing how to source more sustainable delivery options as a consumer and implementing more environmentally friendly practices as a business owner can be small changes that can make a big difference.
Benefits of Using RouteManager
RouteManager is a delivery routing software that helps drivers and delivery businesses with last-mile logistics. Some of the key advantages of using route planning software, especially for companies looking to adopt more eco-friendly practices, include:
- Advanced Route Planning: Utilizes advanced algorithms to create optimized delivery routes that account for traffic patterns, road conditions, and customer preferences. By helping drivers take the most efficient routes, this feature reduces unnecessary mileage, cuts fuel consumption, and lowers emissions. This can help your delivery business not only save time, fuel, and labor costs but also reduce your overall environmental footprint.
- Real-Time Tracking: Providing real-time tracking of deliveries enables businesses to monitor driver progress and ensure on-time deliveries. This transparency improves customer satisfaction while also minimizing fuel usage from inefficient routes or delays, contributing to a greener operation. Additionally, proof of delivery can reduce paper usage by switching to digital confirmation.
- Reporting & Analytics: Offers comprehensive reporting and analytics tools that allow businesses to analyze delivery performance, track key metrics such as delivery times and fuel consumption, and identify areas for improvement. This data-driven approach helps delivery companies optimize routes, reduce fuel usage, and minimize their carbon footprint, supporting eco-friendly delivery goals.
- Integration with Existing Systems: Easily integrates with existing systems like GPS devices, fleet management software, and CRM systems. This seamless integration centralizes data for efficient route planning, helping businesses cut down on fuel consumption and streamline operations for a more sustainable delivery process.
Closing Thoughts
In an era where environmental sustainability is paramount, the carbon footprint of food delivery services has garnered significant attention. The strategies outlined in this article—Advanced Route Planning, Real-Time Tracking, Reporting & Analytics, and Integration with Existing Systems—demonstrate how technology can transform delivery operations into more eco-friendly practices.
Adopting technologies like RouteManager can significantly help food delivery services mitigate their carbon footprint while enhancing operational efficiency. These technological advancements not only support the drive toward sustainability but also improve overall service quality, leading to increased customer loyalty and satisfaction. Ready to grow your business? Book a demo today!
