#Plsdontgiveus
- a mission to reduce single-use plastic packagings that come with food delivery
Role
When
Project Lead
5/2020 - 9/2020
WHY
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the amount of single-use packagings that come with the increasing popularity of food delivery was tripled to approximately 1.5 billion pieces in Thailand and 97% of them were sent to landfills. Food delivery was the most convenient option during the lockdown and it will be a new normal from now on, the single-use packagings are unavoidable as it provides the easiest option for consumers. How to tackle this challenge?
HOW
Make 'options' available
I and my team initiated a project to reduce single-use plastic packaging wastes by collaborating with the local food delivery application to prototype a default opt-out feature for consumers to not getting unnecessary plastics, e.g. forks, spoons, seasoning sachets, and an option that allows consumers to change the styrofoam packaging, which is non-recyclable, to the paper-based or plant-based packagings.
A campaign to empower consumers to opt-out from getting unnecessary packaging and support green choice.
While working with the restaurants to provide options to be more responsible, we also launched a campaign to talk to the consumers that they can now choose not to get unnecessary single-use packaging. They can choose to text or say 'Please don't give us! (ไม่ขอรับ) to the restaurants via food delivery apps.
3 months of prototyping, learning, and iterating
Prior to this concrete idea, we have iterated solution models many times until it’s really actionable yet impactful.
I and my team interviewed 20 local restaurant owners, 3 food delivery apps, and a survey with over 300 people to really listen to their standpoints.
We went with the first idea, to change the UI of the biggest food delivery app, which didn't work because they are prioritizing hygiene over everything during the Covid-19 situation. That was when we shifted the focus to work with consumers and restaurants but will collect the result to convince them later.
After we prototyped this idea, to ask the restaurants to offer the 'opt-out' option and the 'green packaging' option, we asked them to report the result daily on how the customers responded.
OUTCOME
Within 2 weeks of prototyping with 10 restaurants,
57.3% of the orders
chose not to get forks and spoons
22.7% of the orders
chose not to get seasoning sachets
6.6% of the orders
chose to pay more to get plant-based packaging
instead of styrofoam
-
The result of this pilot test convinced the other local restaurants and, at least, 2 local food delivery applications to modify their features to encourage more responsible consumption.
-
The guideline for restaurants that want to start the campaign themselves was published online via our Facebook group.
-
#Plsdontgiveus campaign, promoting the restaurant to 'provide green options', was spread in media and influencers. For example, online articles by Greenpeace, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Bangkok Biz News, TV scoop in GMM25 channel, live interviews with True Lab, Chulalongkorn University Radio, and Department of Environmental Quality Promotion.
-
Single-use food packaging is still popular for food delivery due to the limitations of plant-based packaging and its convenience. However, if I search for 'food delivery wastes' today, there are hundreds of articles, news, videos talking about this issue. I'm confident that we are on the right track toward a more sustainable future.
