Glovo: on the pathway to carbon neutrality
On-demand delivery start-up Glovo, has partnered with Silicon Valley-based carbon credit marketplace, Pachama, to offset carbon emissions from deliveries by cars and motorbikes.
The Barcelona-based start-up will purchase an initial 30,000 tonnes of carbon credits — certificates representing one tonne of carbon dioxide or the mass of another greenhouse gas (GHG) — from Pachama for verified forest carbon projects, offsetting its carbon footprint by 25% by the end of 2020.
Glovo’s long-term strategy is to offset 100% of carbon emissions across its entire value chain, from procurement to end-of-life products sold through the app, before the end of 2021. Alongside its offsetting plans, the company also aims to reduce its GHG emissions through initiatives including food waste management, order-bundling, providing partners with sustainable packaging and supplying couriers with backpacks made from recycled and fully recyclable materials.
Last year, Glovo signed the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), supporting the UN’s call for greater corporate social responsibility. It pledged to align its culture, strategy, and operations with those contained within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to take action to tackle sustainability challenges.
Glovo has pledged to purchase carbon credits supporting the FSC-certified Brazil Nut Conservation project in Peru.
Diego Saz-Gil, Founder of Pachama, said: “We already know that deforestation has a negative impact on climate change and the wildlife that thrive in these forests. But, it’s now clear that deforestation has a real and tangible impact on human health too, through increased risk of virus spillover. Reforestation and conservation are critical, not only as a solution to climate change but also for sustaining human and animal health.
“We are excited to partner with Glovo to help enable its carbon neutrality ambitions through verified forest carbon credits. This partnership is our first in Europe and an important milestone in advancing transparency and accountability of carbon markets globally.”
Sébastien Pellion, Head of Social Impact at Glovo, said: “We’re a company fully committed to tackling sustainability challenges and actively extricating our growth from our carbon emissions. It’s something that we care about deeply. This partnership represents the first step on the pathway to carbon neutrality for Glovo, which is our long-term aim, but we’re always searching for innovative new ways to responsibly reduce our emissions output.”
Sacha Michaud, Co-founder of Glovo, said: “We’re currently living through an unprecedented and challenging time with the COVID-19 crisis, but if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s the importance of taking action before it’s too late. If we’re to stand any chance of preventing the worst impacts of climate change then we must be proactive in addressing the problem.
“As a company, we want to lead by example. We’ve grown very quickly over a short period of time — making millions of deliveries worldwide every month — and offsetting and reducing our carbon emissions is a core component of our sustainability strategy. As a founder, I’m very proud to announce that we’re neutralising our greenhouse gas emissions from deliveries, and this highlights our global commitment to a more sustainable future for our customers and communities.
“We’re very excited to be working with Pachama, a company that shares our passion for preserving the planet and is dedicated to reforestation, conservation and achieving a reduction in emissions that is so critical to slowing the rate of climate change.”
