From June 8, independent takeaways and restaurants in London can apply for funding for plans to further sustainable packaging options.
The initiative is a bid to help eateries across the city become more environmentally friendly, with funding available to 20 businesses.
Called Grants for Growth, the programme is the result of a partnership from small business community Enterprise Nation, Uber Eats, and Visa.
As part of a broader $1 million (£802,000) year-long effort to support small business merchants who use Uber Eats, the funds will be focused on independent local businesses across the UK, US, and Europe.
The 20 successful applicants will receive $10,000 (£8,000) each in credits to spend on more sustainable packaging products with an approved sustainable-packaging supplier.
“On behalf of Uber Eats globally, I’m very happy to be working as part of this coalition to help restaurant owners reduce packaging waste and contribute to the fight against climate change,” says Pierre-Dmitri Gore-Coty, SVP and Global Head of Delivery for Uber in a statement. “Single-use packaging is used in nearly every takeout order worldwide — with our restaurant partners, we can work towards reducing waste and helping small businesses thrive.”
Single-use plastics are known to damage the environment by polluting waterways and natural ecosystems with microplastics and waste that disrupt the productivity of essential natural systems.
For example, analysis from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation suggests that, if today’s habits continue, single-use plastic alone will outweigh fish in the sea by 2050.
“This is a fantastic programme that’s really going to make a tangible difference to small-food businesses in London as well as the planet,” says Emma Jones, CBE, founder and CEO of small business support platform and membership organisation Enterprise Nation. “In an ideal world, everyone would like to do their bit by reducing unnecessary collective waste, but the transition can often be unaffordable, and beyond reach for many small businesses.
“This programme breaks the cycle and addresses the initial financial burden of purchasing the more sustainable packaging.”
Uber Eats, Visa, and Enterprise Nation will be rolling out the programme across other major cities in Europe, with 60 restaurants in total across London, Madrid, and Paris receiving $10,000 each in credits (in the local equivalent currency) to spend on sustainable packaging efforts.
