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Corporate Social Responsibility Deficits and Governance Pathways of Food-Delivery Platforms: An ESG Perspective
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This paper examines how food-delivery apps fall short on environmental and social responsibility, generating heavy plastic waste and food waste while underpaying and under-protecting delivery drivers, treating restaurant partners unfairly, and using unclear algorithms that make it hard to hold anyone accountable. For consumers, this matters because the convenience of ordering food comes with hidden costs: more single-use plastic (which can break down into microplastics that end up in our environment and food chain) and potential risks to your rights as a customer. The researchers call for stronger government rules and better company practices, like greener packaging and clearer algorithms, to
As the digital economy continues to expand, food-delivery platforms have generated substantial economic and social value. At the same time, shortcomings in their environmental, social, and governance responsibilities have become increasingly visible. Drawing on the ESG framework, this paper systematically examines the corporate social responsibility performance of food-delivery platforms. Environmentally, the platform business model contributes to single-use plastic pollution and food waste. Socially, platforms provide inadequate protection for delivery couriers' labor rights, maintain inequitable relationships with merchants, and pose potential risks to consumer rights. In terms of governance, opaque algorithms create further accountability concerns. On the basis of this analysis, the paper proposes a set of governance measures. Externally, government regulation and broader social oversight should be strengthened. Internally, platforms should reform their governance practices, promote green consumption, safeguard stakeholder rights, improve algorithmic transparency, and advance sustainable corporate development.
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A study of 133 food delivery app users in Chennai, India found that most people know their online orders (from apps like Swiggy and Zomato) create real environmental problems—plastic waste, food waste, and pollution—and they're actually willing to pay a bit extra for eco-friendly packaging. This matters because that plastic packaging waste doesn't just vanish; it breaks down into microplastics that can contaminate soil, water, and eventually our food, so consumer demand for greener packaging could push delivery companies to reduce a source of plastic pollution that may end up back in our bodies.
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A Bangkok survey of 385 online food delivery customers found that single-use plastic waste increased substantially with food delivery growth, and consumers rarely opted for greener packaging alternatives on digital platforms. Managing the surge in delivery-related plastic waste requires coordinated policy involving producers, platforms, consumers, and government — including extended producer responsibility and potential bans on single-use plastics.
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Researchers surveyed Thai online food delivery users and found that COVID-19 increased single-use plastic waste dramatically, with consumers torn between health safety and environmental concerns. Online food delivery platforms are one of the fastest-growing sources of single-use plastic packaging that contributes to microplastic pollution.
Urban Waste Composition Associated with Online Food Delivery in Bangkok, Thailand, with Emphasis on Plastic Waste Management
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A survey of 385 food delivery customers in Bangkok found that 76.6% increased their online food ordering, driving higher proportions of single-use plastic waste in municipal solid waste streams, with non-essential plastic items like cutlery and films rarely opted out of. The study highlights how the rapid growth of platform-based food delivery is a significant and underappreciated driver of urban plastic pollution, requiring targeted policy interventions including extended producer responsibility.
Microplastic Pollution in China, an Invisible Threat Exacerbated by Food Delivery Services
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This review examines how the explosive growth of online food delivery services in China is driving a major increase in single-use plastic packaging waste. The resulting plastic pollution contributes to microplastic contamination in urban environments, particularly through packaging that is improperly discarded.
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