Just Eat & UEFA introduce ‘game changing’ biodegradable packaging to Women’s EURO Final

• In collaboration with Notpla, Just Eat will provide its seaweed-coated sustainable packaging for all food outlets at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final at Wembley Stadium on 31st July 

• The match will be the first time UEFA will be using all sustainable food packaging at a major tournament in the UK, with a view to rolling it out at future games

Just Eat and UEFA have today announced that for the first time in the UK, they will introduce biodegradable food packaging at a major football match. In collaboration with Notpla, Just Eat will be providing its seaweed-coated biodegradable packaging at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final, taking place at Wembley Stadium on 31st July.

On average, mass sporting events often generate up to seven tonnes of waste*. Just Eat is introducing a more sustainable food packaging solution which will help to minimise waste during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final. The cardboard boxes are lined with a coating which is unique in the way it replaces usual plastic, or bio-plastic, lined takeaway containers commonly used in the food industry. To ensure the boxes can be used as food packaging the seaweed-based coating is designed to be water-resistant and greaseproof. This innovative packaging is both recyclable and home-compostable and will biodegrade within 4-6 weeks, just like a piece of fruit.

Just Eat and UEFA are also working with Veolia, Wembley Stadium's resource management partner, on this trial to ensure the sustainable packaging will be separated from other waste and recycling for treatment at an Anaerobic Digestion plant. This Digestion plant treats food waste and other organic matter to produce enough renewable electricity to power approximately 6,500 homes annually.

As the official food delivery partner of the UEFA Women’s EUROs, Just Eat and Notpla’s sustainable packaging will also be showcased at the Just Eat Fan Festival at Trafalgar Square from 23rd to 31st July, as well as the Hot Takes Live Event* on 30th July. 

The news comes after Just Eat announced that it has launched a new initiative to encourage girls and women to get involved in football by providing 101 grassroot teams with the ultimate starter pack, and expert advice from industry veterans.

Notes to editors

*https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data/uk-statistics-on-waste 

In 2018, Just Eat made a commitment to tackle plastic pollution across the sector. Since then, Just Eat has removed single-use plastics from its online shop for purchase by its restaurant partners and we have embraced innovation to find solutions to the packaging challenge in the takeaway sector. Our approach is to identify new single-use and reusable solutions, testing them with restaurant partners and customers, and analysing results with a view to scaling the most suitable options. So far, we have:

• In March 2021, Just Eat piloted a plastic-free seaweed-coated cardboard box developed by Notpla. The pilot involved 11 UK-based restaurants and Just Eat provided them with 30,000 packaging units. 

• In October 2021, following the trial, Just Eat launched this packaging for restaurants to buy via our webshop and incentivised purchases through promotions during Black Friday week and in January 2022. To date, sales have totalled 65,000 boxes. 

• Just Eat is also working with different reusable packaging partners in our key markets. In the UK, we completed a three-month pilot with CLUBZERO to trial a reusable service for food containers. The trial involved five London-based restaurants, with the aim of exploring solutions that work for both restaurants and customers, and which have the potential to be scaled across our network. 

*Hot Takes Live Event on 30th July is a chance for fans to recap on the tournaments Hottest Takes and be part of a live discussion on the Future of Football. It is the finale to our Hot Takes podcast series, which has seen hosts - Kelly Somers and Monki - speaking with women across the footballing industry, hearing their Hot Takes on this summer’s tournament. Available on Spotify.