Uber and Visa announced Monday a new program designed to support small- and medium-sized businesses in their transition to green and sustainable packaging solutions. This initiative is part of a broader year-long effort to support the smaller-scale businesses that use Uber Eats.
The two companies will make $1 million available to qualifying Uber Eats restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Madrid to be used towards funding sustainable packaging solutions, which hospitality industry research indicates is a top priority for 2023.
The companies also highlighted the impact of their shared 2022 Grants for Growth program that supported U.S. small business owners recovering from the pandemic and unexpected hardships. Merchants received microgrants of $10,000, used for payroll, paying outstanding vendor debt, upgrading payment technology, and other immediate operational costs.
"Building on the success of our shared support for small and medium-sized businesses, I'm very happy to be turning our efforts with Visa towards how we can help restaurant owners reduce packaging waste and contribute to the fight against climate change," says Pierre-Dmitri Gore-Coty, SVP and global head of delivery for Uber, in a statement. "Single-use packaging is used in nearly every takeout order worldwide—with Visa and our restaurant partners we can work towards reducing waste and helping small businesses thrive."
A 2022 study by the National Restaurant Association indicated that the cost and supply chain issues faced by the hospitality industry make it difficult to switch to sustainable packaging despite the industry considering it a priority. The program intends to serve as a step towards a sustainable future for small business owners.
"With consumers continuing to express desires to live more sustainably, businesses across sectors have a notable opportunity to adopt more sustainable practices to meet this demand," said Douglas Sabo, chief sustainability officer of Visa Inc, in a statement. "Visa is excited to expand on our partnership with Uber Eats to help small businesses to not be left out of the sustainable business transformations this moment requires."
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