Global online food delivery group, Just Eat is continuing its roll out of sustainability initiatives this week, encouraging its 28,500 restaurant partners to become more ‘eco-friendly.’
Just Eat has partnered with Eskuta to encourage the use of electric scooters for food deliveries by offering a 45% discount on the vehicles to each of its restaurant partners.
The scooters will help reduce carbon emissions in cities across the UK and can run for approximately 50 miles on an eight hour charge. With approximately 100 million miles covered by delivery drivers in the Just Eat network in 2017, this new initiative will help reduce takeaway delivery contribution to UK emission levels.
The scooters also help reduce noise pollution on the roads, running almost silently, allowing businesses to use them at night without impacting local communities.
In addition to the initial discount, the offer will financially benefit takeaway businesses in the long term too. Independent research has found that restaurants will save £743 per year for each driver using an Eskuta instead of a petrol moped.
Just Eat already partners with Make it Cheaper to provide access to an exclusive green energy offering, via Squeaky Clean Energy, to all of its restaurant partners. By switching to the green energy provider, restaurants will help reduce their carbon footprint.
Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director of Just Eat said, “With more delivery drivers on the roads than ever before, we recognise that we have a role to play in finding ways to reduce the carbon emissions that result from food delivery. This partnership with Esukta is another step towards tackling the impact that takeaways can have on our planet and we look forward to continuing our work with our restaurant partners and suppliers to support innovation across the industry.”
Ian O’Connor, Managing Director of Eskuta said, “We are really excited to be partnering with Just Eat as they look to help restaurants find alternative sustainable delivery options. We hope to see many Just Eat Eskutas on the roads, and are glad to be helping reduce the takeaway industry’s carbon levels.”
The carbon-focused initiatives are one aspect of Just Eat’s sustainability strategy. Last month, Just Eat launched a major drive to reduce the impact of takeaways on UK plastic waste, including a trial which adds a pre-ticked box to the app and website to nudge customers to opt out of receiving excess plastic. Just Eat also plans to launch an innovation platform to invest in the research and development of practical alternatives for single-use plastics.