Just Eat Trials Plastic-Free Packaging for Non-Toxic Food Deliveries

Food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway’s German arm has introduced plastic-free food boxes using Xampla’s plant-based, 100% biobased Morro Coating.

In addition to its partnership with seaweed packaging maker Notpla, Just Eat Takeaway has collaborated with another British sustainable packaging startup for its newest plastic-free move, this time in Germany.

Lieferando, as the platform is known in Germany, has teamed up with British eco materials innovation startup Xampla and Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki to trial plastic-free takeaway boxes in the country.

They’re lined with Morro, Xampla’s proprietary coating, a plastic-free, PFAS-free, 100% biobased alternative made from natural plant polymers. It means Lieferando’s 41,000 restaurant partners can now order the sustainable packaging on its partner webshop.

“We are committed to making responsible choices that not only benefit our partners and consumers, but also contribute positively to the planet, and we’re looking forward to working with Xampla to encourage more partners to adopt plastic-free packaging,” said Jaz Rabadia, global sustainability head at Just Eat Takeaway, which will soon be acquired by South African investment group Prosus for $4.2B.

Xampla’s Morro Coating offers the same properties as the plastic version without the harm

The folding cartons are produced by Huhtamaki, following a supply deal it struck with Xampla last year. Made from sustainably sourced corrugated paper, they’re fully recyclable and are described as having “good rigidity and heat-retaining properties”. Further, they can be used for greasy/oily foods, which are traditionally difficult to hold in non-plastic packaging.

This is thanks to the Morro coating, an alternative to both fossil-derived and renewable plastic coatings that delivers on technical specs too: it is food-contact-safe, has strong water and oxygen barrier performance, and can be used on a variety of substrates. Plus, it’s free from Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (aka PFAS, a group of forever chemicals that are damaging to human health).

The plastic industry, itself a subset of the fossil-fuel industry (most plastic is made from crude oil production sidestreams) is responsible for 3.4% of global emissions, a share that will only increase as production triples by 2060. And despite 430 million tonnes of plastic waste being generated globally every year, only 9% is recycled. This is an enormous problem since plastic takes between 20 to 500 years to break down, populating landfills and leaking microplastics into our soil and water supply.

Meanwhile, over 90% of plastic pollution comes from single-use products, a figure that has prompted global policymakers to attempt to curb their use. Certain single-use plastics have been banned in the UK and US states like California, and the EU is set to ban all single-use plastic by the end of the decade.

Xampla’s Morro coating is exempt from the latter’s Single-Use Plastic Directive, making it an even more attractive proposition for the foodservice industry.

“Morro Coating is designed to seamlessly integrate into existing packaging processes, offering a powerful alternative to plastic. Together, we are setting a new standard for environmentally responsible food packaging,” said Xampla CEO Alexandra French.

Founded by Simon Hombersley, Tuomas Knowles and Marc Rodriguez Garcia, Xampla spun out from Cambridge University in 2018, and has raised $17.6M to date. Apart from the coating, it makes edible and soluble films, as well as microcapsules for fragrances and active ingredients, all under the Morro brand.

They’re built on a multi-patented tech platform that uses plant proteins from a variety of feedstocks, including peas, potatoes and rapeseed, as well as waste stream ingredients. “Choosing just one raw material has the potential to exhaust natural resources, so by being flexible and adaptable with our feedstocks, we highlight the true power of plants,” the company explains.

Just Eat Takeaway: a sustainable packaging leader

Xampla has established partnerships with a host of companies, including UK-based recipe box startup Gousto, Chinese dairy giant Yili, Uk soft drink leader Britvic, and British skincare label Elemis. Now, Just Eat Takeaway has joined that list.

The collaboration comes after initial testing by Just Eat for Business in the UK, with several Lieferando restaurant partners already having trialled the packaging. “To encourage the use of plastic-free takeaway boxes and promote early adoption, Lieferando has trialled 500 boxes with selected restaurant partners in Hamburg, Essen, Munich and Wiesloch,” a Lieferando spokesperson told Green Queen.

Just Eat Takeaway has been an early adopter of sustainable packaging in the food delivery space, having worked with Notpla since 2018. Its seaweed-lined boxes have appeared in 10 European countries with the platform – the UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Switzerland – including at UEFA Champions League matches.

“This partnership has no impact on the work we already do with Notpla. Supporting our partners with a range of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com’s broader efforts to address plastic pollution in the on-demand delivery industry,” the company’s representative said. “This partnership will further expand Lieferando’s sustainable packaging range alongside what we already offer through Notpla.”

The company also has a partnership with carbon calculator My Emissions, allowing businesses to put emissions information on their in-app delivery menus.

In an analysis of the climate goals of the world’s top food delivery services by Four Paws, Just Eat Switzerland topped the list, while four other subsidiaries made the top six in the 18-company ranking – that said, even the Swiss platform only scored 32 out of 100.

“We are pleased to be working with Lieferando and Huhtamaki, two forward-thinking partners who share our commitment to the planet through reducing plastic pollution,” said French.

In a world where greenwashing is rampant, especially when it comes to packaging and plastic use, Xample sure feels like a breath of fresh, plastic-pollution-free air.