On Earth Day, DoorDash’s Sustainability Journey Moves Forward
At DoorDash, our sustainability journey is rooted in our mission to empower local economies. Sustainability is intertwined with equity and access, and thriving local economies are key to a more sustainable future. As part of our journey, DoorDash has worked to combat food waste through Project DASH, has introduced eco-friendly packaging and a utensil opt-in feature, and has promoted vehicle alternatives and instituted efficient logistics. Over the past few years, DoorDash has made progress in a few key areas and, in 2021, we’re focused on taking more steps to advance solutions towards a more sustainable future.
Since 2018, Project DASH has helped reduce food waste through partnerships with food recovery organizations and, in 2019, we reached the milestone of one million pounds of surplus, donated food diverted from the landfill and connected to hunger relief nonprofits.
To reduce packaging waste, DoorDash now offers recyclable and compostable packaging to merchants to help make restaurant deliveries more eco-friendly, and we’re also supporting innovative reusable packaging models. Last year, we began to roll out a utensil opt-in feature for select merchants to include utensils only if the customer requests them. As part of the effort to combat waste and generate savings for merchants, we’ve joined the #CutOutCutlery campaign and will continue to expand the utensil opt-in program throughout our app.
As we continue our work on sustainability, reducing delivery emissions is another important opportunity. As early as 2017 and continuing through today, DoorDash piloted bicycle, e-bike, scooter, and cargo bike offerings in cities across the U.S. and Canada. These initiatives increase access for Dashers delivering with DoorDash while also promoting the use of efficient alternatives to cars. DoorDash has also incorporated routing efficiencies that, on average, result in lower estimated emissions compared to a customer driving a car to and from the restaurant to pick up an order.
In 2021, our work on sustainability will only accelerate. As part of our journey to do more in a meaningful way, we’ve partnered with Watershed to measure our full carbon footprint and identify wide-ranging opportunities for impact on sustainability. Armed with new tools and detailed insight, we can further advance solutions that make a difference for our planet. Stay tuned for more on these throughout the year.
