Brazilian Internet users are uncomfortable with the amount of disposable plastic items they receive when delivering ready-to-eat food by application, such as cutlery, plates, cups, sachets, straws and stirrers. A survey carried out by Ipec (Intelligence in Research and Consulting) shows that 72% of consumers want to receive orders without disposable plastic. In addition, 15% of respondents say they have already stopped asking for the service because they feel uncomfortable due to the amount of plastics.
The survey “Perceptions about plastic among users of delivery applications” was commissioned by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and by the NGO Oceana, which together lead the # DeLivreDePlástico campaign , launched in December 2020. The movement calls for that food delivery applications are committed to reducing the amount of disposable plastic sent with food, such as cutlery, bags, straws and packaging, and offer consumers free plastic options. The campaign establishes specific goals for the reduction of material in services.
“Meal delivery apps play a key role in the transition to a circular plastic economy and the elimination of unnecessary disposable items. In addition to being vectors of intensified delivery, their ability to influence the value chain places applications as important agents of this change. ”, Says the coordinator of the Mares Limpos campaign at UNEP, Vitor Leal Pinheiro.
Apps and restaurants need to reduce the supply of disposable plastic
Society understands that applications must act: the majority of Internet users (86%) declare that these companies, which are growing at a fast pace, have as much or more responsibility than restaurants in free deliveries of disposable plastic and, therefore, should join together to reduce it and offer customers a better experience with these services – for 56% apps and restaurants have the same responsibility and for 30% apps have a fundamental role. Still according to the survey, 77% of consumers believe that applications should publicly commit to targets for reducing disposable plastic items in ready-to-eat orders.
The majority of respondents (82%) also believe that delivery companies should offer plastic items only on customer demand and not to all consumers (containers, cutlery, stirrers, glasses, sachets), as a first step in reducing demand for that product.
There are 88% of internet users who would not like to receive a plastic item in their delivery orders. The items that most consumers do not want to receive are straws and drink stirrers (53%); cutlery, such as forks, knives, spoons (52%); and plastic cups (47%) – according to the methodology, the interviewees could point out one or more items.
In addition, more than half of respondents would like plastic bags (59%) and Styrofoam containers (52%) to be replaced with alternative and less polluting materials than plastic.
“The survey data shows that the consumer wants plastic-free alternatives, but for that it is necessary that companies offer them their service without plastic at no additional cost. It is the right of every citizen to choose not to pollute and help preserve the environment ”, says Lara Iwanicki, campaign manager for the reduction of plastic pollution in Oceana.
The survey sampled the population of Brazilian Internet users aged 16 or over, of the ABC classes, residing in all regions of the country, in capitals and in the interior, who had ordered food or meals per application in the last six months. A thousand people were interviewed between March 6 and 14, 2021.
The pandemic and environmental impacts
In 2020, the covid-19 pandemic dramatically increased the demand for food delivery in Brazil. According to a survey by the startup Mobills Labs, spending on these applications has grown 187% since the beginning of the pandemic. Only iFood, which accounts for about 70% of the market share, reached 48 million deliveries per month in 2020 and a 63% growth in the number of registered establishments. Thanks to online orders, sales of take-out and delivery meals secured revenue for small and medium-sized restaurants amid the economic crisis that followed the blockade.
The increase in delivery orders has also increased the consumption of plastic disposable items. Brazil annually produces 3 million tons of single-use plastics, 13% of which are products such as plates, glasses, cutlery, plastic bags and straws. This is equivalent to 200 billion disposable items per year. Most of these items are not recycled, as they have no economic value for the recycling chain and, therefore, become waste and pollution.
Brazil, the largest producer of plastics in Latin America, contributes more than 325 thousand tons of plastic waste to the ocean, increasing a type of pollution that besides the environmental impacts, also has negative consequences for the fishing activity and for the tourism sector, as shown in the study A Plastic-Free Ocean , published by Oceana last December.
The # DeLivreDePlástico Campaign
Launched in December 2020, the # DeLivreDePlástico campaign asks food delivery applications to commit, among other actions, to promoting free deliveries of disposable plastic to partner restaurants across the country. It also proposes quantitative reduction targets, such as having 100% send optional items (cutlery, napkins, plastic straws, sachets, etc.) only on consumer demand until 2023; have at least 30% of deliveries made with returnable packaging and have 100% of restaurants deliver in returnable or plastic free bags by 2025.
In order for the commitment to go beyond the intention to end plastic pollution, Oceana and UNEP have been triggering iFood and UberEats, in addition to other applications, to commit to the reduction targets to actually reduce plastic pollution. “With so much profit, and benefiting from this scenario, it is unacceptable for these companies to do so little in return,” says Lara Iwanicki.
About UNEP
UNEP is the leading global voice on environmental issues. It promotes leadership and encourages partnerships to care for the environment, inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. www.unep.org/pt-br
About OCEANA
Founded in 2001 and present in Brazil since 2014, Oceana is the largest non-governmental organization focused exclusively on the conservation of the oceans. Our operations in 11 countries and in the European Union seek to protect marine biodiversity and increase the abundance of the oceans through scientifically based campaigns, which have already resulted in more than 225 victories worldwide. www.brasil.oceana.org