Jumping into a pile of leaves is something to do at least once. It’s so cozy. Uber Eats is bringing that embracing, and ecological, aesthetic to its packaging, starting with a pilot in Paris, in which it will deliver items in bags made from fallen leaves collected from urban areas.
Through its Paris Innovation Pilot, Uber is investing nearly $1 million to help restaurants in the city adopt sustainable packaging alternatives. By offering discounts through its Green Packaging Marketplace, the company is making it easier for partners to try innovative options like Notpla’s seaweed-based packaging, Releaf’s leaf-made bags, and iamplasticfree’s straws made of agricultural sugar residuals. This is all designed to establish models for future initiatives in other areas of the world.
The initiative was announced at Uber’s Go Get Zero event in London.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of Uber’s ambitious journey towards a zero-emissions future, starting in Paris,” said Alexander Sobolenko, general manager of Releaf Paper.
This is just the latest effort in the brand’s goal to eliminate unnecessary plastic waste from deliveries by 2030. Last year, Uber teamed with Visa to help small and medium-sized restaurants offer sustainable packaging solutions. The companies pledged to make $1 million accessible to eligible Uber Eats restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Madrid.
