São Paulo, June 30, 2021 — As of July, 100% of deliveries made by iFood will be compensated in advance in CO2. The objective is to neutralize the impacts caused by CO2 emissions in the company's delivery operations in the country, and the resources will be invested in environmental preservation projects in the Amazon Forest.
The initiative is part of the iFood Regenerates, program environmental goals of the company, announced in March 2021, and which seeks to eliminate plastic pollution and neutralize CO2 emissions from delivery operations by 2025. “We are promoting transformative solutions that reverse the socio-environmental impacts typical of a delivery operation. We want to return more to the environment than we consume from it. From July 1st, our deliveries will already be compensated before arriving at our customers’ homes”, he states. Gustavo Vitti, vice president of people and sustainable solutions at iFood.
In partnership with the Brazilian environmental startup Moss.Earth, iFood carried out an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse effect (GHG), adding all emission levels, both those for which the company is directly and indirectly responsible. This way, the company knows how much CO2 it emits in each delivery and can neutralize it beforehand.
The novelty here is that in a unique model, unlike some companies that offset the carbon already emitted, iFood anticipates the compensation. In other words, knowing how much CO2 it will emit in the second half of this year, iFood invests in advance in compensation. This means that all deliveries from now on, even those made by traditional modes, such as combustion motorcycles, have already been compensated. With this action, by the end of 2021, iFood will have preserved an area of approximately 1,250,000 square meters in the Amazon Rainforest, equivalent to 125 official football fields.
Through iFood Regenera, in addition to offsetting emissions through projects to preserve the Amazon Forest, the company has also been investing in the search for solutions to reduce CO2 emissions in its operations through non-polluting modes such as electric motorcycles and the program iFood Pedal, for example, and regenerate with environmental preservation and reforestation projects.
Other initiatives
Among the investments made by iFood are non-polluting modes, such as motorcycles and electric bikes. The goal is for 50% of orders to be delivered in non-polluting modes by 2025. “We know that compensation alone is not enough. It is necessary to think of innovative ways to reduce CO2 emissions”, explains Vitti.
In October last year, the company launched iFood Pedal, in partnership with Tembici, a project developed exclusively for delivery drivers that offers training, personalized kit and affordable plans for renting electric bikes. Currently, more than three thousand delivery people are registered with iFood Pedal and share a thousand electric bikes in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. With good adherence indicators, the plan is to expand the project to other cities and, thus, increase the percentage of clean deliveries.
Another important partnership is with the automaker Voltz, a company specializing in electric motorcycles. The pilot project has 30 electric motorcycles that are already being tested by delivery drivers. After this period, the expectation is to reach more than 10 thousand motorcycles in the next 12 months. To encourage the use of the modal, iFood is developing partnerships to create a special line of credit for delivery partners.
“We know we have a long way to go, but we believe we are building and evolving through different initiatives that complement each other and minimize the impact on the environment. Our relevance and presence in the lives of Brazilian families further reinforces the importance of these environmental commitments for the planet”, adds Vitti.
New features in the app
To formalize, involve and raise awareness among customers about this important movement to offset CO2 emissions in 100% of delivery operations, iFood adds new communications and signs in the application, such as initiative banners, notifications informing that the order on the way has its delivery plywood and special icons for tracking the delivery person.
Furthermore, starting in July, the “Donation” section of the app will also have an option aimed at planting seedlings in the Atlantic Forest. 100% of the funds raised will be allocated to SOS Mata Atlântica, used in the planting and maintenance of new trees. In this way, foodtech connects people who can donate with reliable organizations that need help to regenerate Brazilian forests.
About iFood
iFood, a reference in online food delivery in Latin America, has 60 million monthly orders. Having been on the market for ten years, the Brazilian company is also present in Colombia. It works together with partners with initiatives that bring together business intelligence and management solutions for the approximately 270 thousand restaurants registered in more than a thousand cities throughout Brazil. iFood has important investors, such as Movile, a global leader in mobile marketplaces, and Just Eat, one of the largest online ordering companies in the world. Press information: ifood@novapr.com.br
