iFood Brazil Sustainability Initiatives | Reducing Carbon Footprint

iFood Launches Sustainability Initiatives Across Latin America

The Brazilian food delivery company, iFood, has unveiled a comprehensive set of programs aimed at lessening its environmental footprint. This response comes as consumers increasingly demand greater sustainability from the businesses they support.

Focus Areas: Waste Reduction and Carbon Neutrality

The new program centers around two primary objectives. The first tackles plastic pollution and overall waste management. The second is a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in all operational aspects by the year 2025.

A particularly ambitious undertaking, and one requiring significant investment, is the construction of a partially automated recycling facility located in São Paulo.

Gustavo Vitti, iFood’s chief people and sustainability officer, explained, “Our goal is to fundamentally reshape the supply chain for plastic-free packaging within Brazil. By gaining control over the entire process – from production through marketing and logistics – we can provide more competitive pricing for packaging to existing industries that currently lack the necessary production scale and demand.”

Reducing Plastic Waste with Customer Choice

iFood has also integrated a new feature into its application. This allows customers to easily opt-out of receiving plastic cutlery with their food deliveries.

Vitti further stated, “These actions will help decrease the consumption of plastic items, which are frequently sent unnecessarily and ultimately discarded as waste. Initial testing revealed that 90% of customers utilized this feature, resulting in a substantial reduction in plastic cutlery usage. This demonstrates a clear desire among our consumers to minimize waste delivered to their homes.”

Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Offsets and Fleet Transition

To address emissions, iFood is collaborating with Moss.Earth, a technology firm specializing in the carbon market. Moss.Earth developed the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and will facilitate offsetting emissions through the purchase of credits linked to environmental preservation and reforestation projects.

The company is also actively transitioning its delivery fleet away from mopeds and scooters powered by internal combustion engines.

iFood launched the iFood Pedal program in partnership with Tembici, a Brazilian electric bike provider. This project offers affordable rental plans for electric bikes specifically designed for delivery couriers.

“We recognize that offsetting alone is insufficient. Innovative methods to reduce CO2 emissions are essential,” Vitti commented. “Currently, over 2,000 couriers are participating, utilizing 1,000 electric bikes in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Alongside the program’s educational component, we’ve seen strong adoption rates and plan to expand the project to other cities, increasing the proportion of our deliveries completed using clean energy.”

Expanding the Electric Fleet

Voltz Motors, a Brazilian electric motorcycle manufacturer, is also partnering with iFood. An initial order of 30 electric motorcycles has been placed for use by select delivery partners, with plans to deploy over 10,000 motorcycles within the next year.

Holistic Sustainability Efforts

In addition to these initiatives, iFood is implementing internal improvements focused on water reuse, renewable energy deployment, and the creation of a green roof at its Osasco headquarters. These combined efforts aim to achieve broader sustainability goals throughout Brazil and beyond.

Vitti concluded, “We acknowledge the significant journey ahead, but we are confident that, in collaboration with key partners and through these ongoing initiatives, we can reduce plastic generation and CO2 emissions, lessening our environmental impact. Our widespread relevance and presence in Brazilian households underscore the importance of these environmental commitments for the planet.”