Deliveroo today announces its partnership with A Plastic Ocean Foundation (APOF), a local charitable organisation dedicated to stopping plastic pollution and initiating ocean recovery from human impacts, to safeguard and preserve Hong Kong’s precious wetland region, Ha Pak Lai, from plastic pollution and soil erosion through beach clean-ups and planting local bamboo trees. The company has committed to a series of clean-up operations in the wetland from this month through the end of 2023 as part of APOF’s #OneTonneLess programme.
Rallying the Deliveroo Community for Coastal Cleanups
As one of Hong Kong’s richest biodiverse areas, Ha Pak Lai is home to many rare species. The commitment from Deliveroo will see over 250 of the company’s staff, riders, and their families participating in beach clean-ups at Ha Pak Lai to protect the beachfront from plastic waste. As a result, at least one tonne of ocean garbage is projected to be collected by the end of 2023. The initiative also strives to raise public awareness of environmental preservation while teaching the next generation about the necessity of sustainability.
Protecting Hong Kong’s Endangered Species from Habitat Destruction
As Ha Pak Lai is one of the most important habitats for horseshoe crabs, an endangered species under the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species in Hong Kong, it is crucial to prevent habitat destruction. In recent years, onshore human activities have created water pollution and soil contamination, accounting for up to 70% of the loss of young horseshoe crabs. In addition, abandoned farm activities cause severe soil erosion, which washes contaminated soil into streams and the sea. Deliveroo intends to help to restore the ecosystem at Ha Pak Lai by planting new bamboo plants and using the plant’s characteristics. With fresh bamboo grown under this initiative, over 2,500kg of CO2 will be absorbed by the bamboo stems. Additionally, the initiative will see that elemental pollutants are eliminated by phytoremediation, and prevent habitat loss as the new bamboo plants will establish a natural barrier to prevent land-based plastic garbage from being washed into the sea by rainwater and wind.
Andrew Hui, General Manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said, “Deliveroo is committed to being a part of the communities by taking steps to drive sustainability. With this collaboration initiative, we hope to stimulate and accelerate new eco-friendly behaviours that will contribute to long-term, sustainable change across generations. We believe that the solution to climate change is a communal effort, and so we’re excited to collaborate with APOF to take another step toward environmental preservation by contributing to ocean conservation, repairing the local ecology, and developing sustainable economies that benefit everyone. In addition, we’re excited to work with like-minded riders and their families to promote environmental conservation, resulting in a cleaner, more sustainable environment for everybody.”
Willy Kwong, Director of A Plastic Ocean Foundation, said, “We’re delighted to have Deliveroo come on board and join us for this important initiative. Hong Kong lies on the eastern edge of the Pearl River Estuary surrounded by the South China Sea, the healthiness of the sea has a direct impact on everyone’s living quality. We are obligated to do everything we can to protect and preserve it for the wildlife that calls it home, and of course, for the people of the city too. Together we aim to collect over one tonne of pollutants, and I am confident that with more companies like Deliveroo by our side, we can achieve our goal in creating a necessary momentum in advancing towards a healthier, more beautiful and sustainable ocean.”
Mr Tsui, a Deliveroo Rider who attended the session with his wife and son, said,“I’m grateful to be a part of this important endeavour alongside my family. Giving back to the environment that makes Hong Kong such a wonderful place to live is always a satisfying feeling for me, because I firmly believe that we can all make a difference, no matter how small our efforts appear to be. Today, all three of us learned a lot, and thanks to Deliveroo and A Plastic Ocean Foundation, our family understands the importance of environmental protection. I look forward to taking part in future sustainability-driven Deliveroo programmes with my family and giving back to our city’s beaches and trails, and after today, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these initiatives to my rider peers as well!”
The partnership with APOF comes as Deliveroo pledged in 2020 to make imperative sustainable development goals. In early March, Deliveroo announced a major sustainability partnership programme with zero-waste packaging company, Sustainabl., which enables Deliveroo’s restaurant partners to adopt sustainable food containers at an affordable price under Deliveroo’s HK$2 million restaurant subsidy scheme. This programme aims to incentivise restaurant partners to go green in their delivery operations. The latest CSR effort with APOF, is among the many unique initiatives created by Deliveroo to support the community. Last year, two impactful initiatives were run to create compostable, eco-friendly food wrap packing for World Food Day with Cali-Mex, offering collection sites for Hong Kongers to drop off their mooncake boxes to be recycled – which saw over 500kg of packaging donated. The company has also launched cutlery opt-out globally since 2018.