- Available for all startups recognized by DPIIT.
- The first, second, and third prize winners will be awarded amounts of INR 10 Lakhs, 5 Lakhs, and 3 Lakhs, respectively.
New Delhi, February 2, 2024: Zomato, India’s leading food ordering and delivery platform, has unveiled the ‘Plastic-Free Orders Packathon’ in collaboration with Startup India, aiming to stimulate innovation in sustainable packaging for online food delivery. This competition invites startups to present their inventive solutions for eco-friendly packaging tailored to restaurants offering online food orders.
Expressing Zomato’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of food deliveries, Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, mentioned the ongoing ‘Plastic-Free Orders’ initiative, operational in 8 cities. This initiative has recognized 3.6 million orders as plastic-free by December 31, 2023, revealing a need for cost-effective alternatives for standalone and mid-tier restaurants, especially outside metro cities.
Aastha Grover, Vice President, Startup India, emphasized the initiative’s role in encouraging startups to create sustainable packaging solutions that significantly reduce plastic usage. Open to all DPIIT-recognized startups, the Packathon’s submission deadline is February 29, with prizes worth 10 Lakhs, 5 Lakhs, and 3 Lakhs for the top three winners, along with the opportunity to showcase their solutions to Zomato’s restaurant partners.
Zomato, aligning with its 2030 sustainability goals, plans to facilitate 100% plastic-neutral food delivery orders through voluntary recycling and deliver 100 million plastic-free food orders by 2025. The company’s 3Rs approach—’reduce, recycle, and reward’—is evident in initiatives like making ‘Do not send cutlery’ the default option, resulting in a significant reduction in cutlery waste. In FY 23, Zomato recycled 20,000 MT of plastic waste, over 2X the weight of plastic used by restaurant partners for Zomato deliveries. In 2023, the company introduced a recognition program for restaurant partners adopting plastic-free alternatives for Zomato deliveries.
Link to the Packathon: https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/ams-application/challenge.html?applicationId=65aa30c2e4b0b0f811ce49cf
