Woowa Brothers cut delivery waste by 28,000 tons of greenhouse gas equivalent

Seen is the cover of the 2022 Woowa Brothers business report. Courtesy of Woowa Brothers

By Ko Dong-hwan

Woowa Brothers reduced waste equivalent to 28,000 tons of greenhouse gases last year alone with its eco-friendly measures, the food delivery service provider said Wednesday.

According to the company's latest annual report, it introduced a consumer-friendly feature that lets consumers choose not to receive single-use utensils from restaurants they order food.

In 2021, it introduced another feature allowing consumers to opt out of receiving side dishes like kimchi, pickles or seasoned radishes, which constitute a significant amount of packaging waste.

Both features allowed restaurants to send out less plastic utensils and food packaging that would simply end up in the garbage. The company said in the report published Wednesday that it calculated the effects of its environmental measures altogether to be equivalent to about 28,000 tons of greenhouse gases.

The company's electric bike rental service for its employees is another green initiative that contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company in July 2022 established a subsidiary called Delivery N and signed partnership deals with local bike rental companies to provide its delivery riders with electric bikes for free.

Mostly accessed via the company's smartphone app Baemin, the delivery service has been encouraging consumers to go green by letting them use multi-use containers or their own personal tumblers when receiving their food or beverages, helping food providers to save single-use plastic containers or cups.

Woowa Brothers CEO Lee Kuk-hwan said the report contains the company's concerns and efforts for sustainable growth. The company in 2021 launched an environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) committee, and established under the committee a sub-group last March dedicated to executing ESG policies.

The guidebook, published to commemorate the country's Resource Circulation Day on Wednesday, also said Woowa Brothers donated 1.2 billion won last year to support victims of floods and wildfires. Almost 670 restaurant partners of the company and over 190 employed delivery drivers were subsidized 3.2 billion won in total for their hospital bills, while 620 children of people at the company's partner firms were granted a total of 3.6 billion won in scholarship funds, according to the report.