Zomato has introduced PackSwitch, an interactive website to help restaurants and other interested users find the right sustainable packaging for each item on their menu. The platform offers information on alternative packaging materials, their functionality, business viability and environmental impact in three simple steps: find your dish, view relevant sustainable packaging material, and browse information on relevant suppliers. The launch event was graced and addressed by Prashanth Prakash, Founding Partner, Accel India.
PackSwitch is designed to bridge that gap by providing restaurants with an accessible informational resource to speed up adoption of sustainable food delivery packaging.
It provides:
- Practical information on sustainable packaging materials
- Packaging recommendations tailored to different food categories
- Information regarding a network of 100+ verified suppliers across India
Speaking at the launch, Prashanth Prakash, Founding Partner, Accel India, noted, “The responsibility of protecting our cities from plastic pollution rests with every one of us. Sustainable food delivery packaging adoption by restaurants often stalls at good intentions because knowledge, awareness and products are not aligned. With Zomato’s PackSwitch initiative, restaurants now have a tool that simplifies decision-making around sustainable packaging. I hope to see more restaurants use PackSwitch to transition away from plastic packaging paving the way for greener cities.”
Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Eternal Limited, shared, “Sustainability is embedded in how we do business across Eternal companies. Over the last two years, we’ve invested in building consumer awareness through Zomato’s Plastic-Free Future program, which awards restaurants a ‘low plastic packaging tag’ on the app to recognise them for moving away from plastic to pack main dishes. PackSwitch focuses on building restaurant awareness through dish-led sustainable packaging information. Now the question – what sustainable material can I pack biriyani in? becomes a much easier one for restaurants to answer and find solutions for.”
To mark the launch, Zomato brought together restaurant partners, packaging manufacturers, sustainability practitioners and investors for an immersive exhibition on the future of food delivery packaging. Curated by Shashwat Das and Jyoti Shrestha, the centrepiece exhibit set out eight sustainable materials and a range of coatings used in the category. Through exhibits and expert-led discussions, attendees explored how these materials perform in delivery operations, their commercial feasibility, and their environmental trade-offs.
As part of the supplier directory made available on PackSwitch, restaurants and other interested users may also explore the sustainable packaging solutions provided by Hyperpure, Eternal’s B2B supply platform serving 100,000+ restaurant outlets across India.
Restaurants already using lower-plastic packaging can be identified through the ‘low plastic packaging’ tag on the Zomato app and discovered using the filter of the same name, making it easier for customers to support businesses adopting more sustainable packaging practices.
