Deliveroo : Singapore partners Zero Waste SG to bring recycling to the forefront as employees return to the office

• Deliveroo for Work (DfW) has partnered with Zero Waste SG to roll out a pilot recycling programme
• As part of the initiative, DfW will sponsor up to 50 per cent of the programme costs, with a total investment of up to $15,000

Deliveroo for Work (DfW), the corporate arm of Deliveroo, today announced its partnership with Zero Waste SG, a not for profit organisation leading the drive towards zero waste in Singapore. The collaboration aims to help DfW develop a robust corporate recycling programme for its customers. Starting today, DfW customers can register their interest to upgrade their workplace's waste management efforts, with Deliveroo sponsoring up to 50 per cent of the programme costs.

With working from home becoming the default for many office workers in the last year, overall waste generated at offices and commercial premises saw a huge decline in 2020. However, with that, Singapore's recycling rates also fell to 52% as COVID-19 slowed down industrial activity and disrupted recycling programmes. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the waste generation pattern of 2020 is unlikely to be repeated this year as the impact of the pandemic gradually eases.

As more employees return to the workplace in Singapore's Phase 3 (Heightened Alert), Deliveroo hopes to raise awareness of the importance of recycling through the initiative and create greener and more sustainable work environments. The food delivery firm will invest up to $15,000 to guide organisations' zero waste journey in collaboration with Zero Waste SG.

The programme will include:

• Office waste audit: Provide companies with better insights into their current waste production
• Employee surveys: Track employee journey to understand their motivations and determine their waste habits
• Tailored zero waste solutions: Customised solutions and recommended processes created based on office layouts, employee habits and available resources

Pek Hai Lin, Executive Director, Zero Waste SG said, "We are pleased to partner Deliveroo in this meaningful initiative to support their customers' journey to zero waste. At Zero Waste SG, we firmly believe that everyone has a part to play in keeping the environment clean. Through the programme, we are able to extend our reach and educate more people on the importance of waste reduction. We hope to create easy, simple steps for employees to apply in their daily life at work, and we cannot wait to get started."

"As a socially responsible company, we are committed to helping our partners become more sustainable whilst encouraging customers to make more environmentally friendly choices. One of the few positive things to come out of COVID-19 is less waste from office and commercial premises. As we look forward to returning to the workplace there is a risk this increases again and we want to support companies in instilling good recycling habits among employees. Through our recycling programme, we can collectively play a part to achieve a cleaner, greener future in the new normal," said Sarah Tan, General Manager, Deliveroo Singapore.

Past sustainability initiatives by Deliveroo include partnerships with barePack and BioPak, where the company offers sustainable packaging options to all restaurant partners with discounts to help them make the easy switch to eco-friendly packaging. Deliveroo has also signed the WWF's (World Wide Fund for Nature) PACT (Plastic ACTion) pledge, committing to encouraging consumer behaviour change and restaurant partners to improve their packaging materials. In 2018, Deliveroo also made plastic cutlery an opt-in.