Just Eat Announces Fund to Support Uptake of Earthshot Award Winning Notpla Packaging
20th January 2023
Just Eat has announced the launch of a €50,000 fund as part of a price-match initiative to further promote the roll-out of seaweed coated takeaway packaging from recent Earthshot UK Climate Prize winners Notpla, across its restaurant partner network in Ireland.
The prestigious Earthshot Prize awarded by Prince William in Boston last month has provided Notpla with a grant to scale up its sustainable business further in 2023. The Just Eat Notpla boxes are lined with a coating which is unique in the way it replaces usual plastic, or bio-plastic, lined takeaway containers commonly used in the food industry. The boxes have been designed with a seaweed-based coating and are water-resistant and greaseproof to ensure they can be used as food packaging.
The innovative packaging is both fully recyclable and will biodegrade within 4-6 weeks in a home compost, just like a piece of fruit.
Notpla packaging will be available for purchase by Just Eat’s restaurant partners at the same price as equivalent traditional packaging. The price-match initiative has been designed to offset some of the associated costs for restaurant partners seeking to make sustainability packaging available to their Irish customers.
To coincide with the launch of the initiative, and in acknowledgement of Just Eat’s sponsorship with Leinster Rugby, Notpla packaging will be made available from selected food vendors operating at the Aviva Stadium as a once off for the Leinster’s Champions Cup clash against Racing 92 taking place on the 21st January 2023. Beyond this, the packaging will be rolled out for food vendors at the RDS for all of Leinster’s remaining home fixtures this season.
This initiative has been developed to aid Just Eat’s restaurant partners in reducing their use of single use packaging and support the development of a more sustainable food delivery sector in Ireland.
Amanda Roche-Kelly, Managing Director, Just Eat Ireland said: “As a business that’s very proud of our operations in Ireland, we’re fully cognisant of the Irish Government’s ambition to meet certain sustainability targets over the coming weeks, months and years. If we can play even in the smallest role in supporting that ambition, then we’re happy to do so.
We know there isn’t a quick fix in tackling sustainability, however by partnering with such iconic Irish organisations such as Leinster Rugby and the RDS, we feel this is a great way to drive awareness of Notpla packaging and ultimately support our restaurant partners to make an immediate impact.”
Notpla co-founder, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez added: “There’s an ever-increasing demand from consumers to reduce their waste, but without sacrificing the convenience of their favourite takeaway. So, we’re thrilled to see Notpla’s unique, naturally biodegradable seaweed packaging make its way into the hands of customers all around Ireland thanks to Just Eat’s support.
Just Eat truly embraces the opportunity to be a force for change in the sustainable food delivery sector and this fund will ensure its restaurant partners around Ireland can reap the rewards that Notpla brings.”
“It’s an exciting time as we continue our mission to make packaging disappear. By scaling production of our coated board to new heights in 2022, we’re now in a position to replace single-use plastic food packaging at an industrial scale – proven by large-scale events such as Leinster’s upcoming match at the Aviva Stadium.”
Irish restaurant partners interested in buying the Notpla takeaway boxes can do so via the Just Eat Web shop here.
Pictured are Leinster Rugby Players, Jason Jenkins, Tadhg Furlong and Ciaran Frawley.
