Tech giant Uber has set deadlines to phase out petrol vehicles and unnecessary plastic waste from food deliveries made through the Uber Eats platform across Australia as part of a push to curb its impact on the environment.
In a move that mirrors Uber’s pledge to phase out combustion-engine vehicles from its global ride-hailing fleet by 2040, all couriers on the Uber Eats app will be required to make deliveries using only emissions-free vehicles by 2040, too.
These could include electric cars, electric bikes, electric scooters, and push-bikes.
The tens of thousands of Australian restaurants on Uber Eats, meanwhile, will have until 2030 to cease using unnecessary plastic utensils and packaging from deliveries made through the app to address the harmful impact of single-use plastic on the environment.
“Emissions and plastic waste are massive challenges to tackle for the entire sector,” said Bec Nyst, Uber Eats’ general manager of Australia and New Zealand. “But we are confident we can work in concert with partners locally and globally to create a more sustainable delivery ecosystem.”
Uber’s new pledges – unveiled at its first global sustainability event in London on Thursday – come as large corporations worldwide face mounting pressure from governments, investors and customers to more urgently reduce their carbon footprints and help the world avoid the worst impacts of catastrophic climate change.
Light vehicles account for more than 10 per cent of Australia’s output of greenhouse gas emissions, making the transport sector a major contributor to global warming.
Extracted in full from: Uber Eats to ban petrol cars, plastic waste from deliveries in Australia (smh.com.au)
