Electric vehicles zipping through cities, reusable bags, compostable forks — food delivery is getting a green glow-up, and we’re here for it! Big names like:
- Uber Eats — under the leadership of Alvin Huntspon, Uber’s Head of ESG Strategy & Engagement — is gunning for zero-emission deliveries by 2040,
- while DoorDash — where Max Rettig, Vice President and Head of Global Public Policy, oversees its social impact and policy efforts — already has bikes and scooters slashing 155,000 tons of CO₂ a year.
- Wolt — guided by Jamie Saab, Global Head of Sustainability, Just Eat Takeaway.com — championed by Robin Clark, Senior Director, ESG & Sustainability, Deliveroo — driven by Paul Bedford, Director of Policy and Sustainability, and Glovo — steered by Sacha Michaud, Co-Founder & Vice President, Public Affairs, Sustainability & Impact — are also jumping in with bold net-zero promises backed by serious plans like SBTi.
↳ Wolt’s Climate Strategy | Deliveroo’s ESG Report | Glovo Green Deal
But there’s a sneaky carbon culprit hiding in plain sight: bad (or missing) menu photos. It’s not just about making dishes look tasty — it’s about cutting food waste, delighting customers, and shrinking your carbon footprint. Let’s dive into why better pictures could be a game-changer for the planet.
🍽️ Why No Photo Means More Waste
Imagine this: Sarah orders a “spicy noodle bowl” from her favorite delivery app, but there’s no photo to show what’s coming. When it arrives, it’s a soupy mess — not the stir-fry she pictured. Disappointed, she eats a few bites and tosses the rest. Sound familiar?
This happens way too often. Our research shows 1 in 20 meals ordered without photos gets partially eaten or trashed. That’s a mountain of wasted food — and every kilogram of it pumps 2.5 kilograms of CO₂ into the atmosphere (think farming, shipping, and cooking, all for nothing). For a platform delivering 100 million meals a year, that’s like adding 100,000 tons of CO₂ just because menus didn’t have clear pictures. That’s wild!
Source: UN FAO Food Waste Report, EPA Food Waste Data
📸 The Hidden Cost of Food Photoshoots
Until now, fixing this meant sending professional photographers to restaurants. Traditional photoshoots come with their own carbon price tag:
- Photographers drive an average of 10km per shoot, burning fuel.
- Restaurants cook 5–10 dishes just for the camera, often tossing them afterward.
- Multiply that by thousands of restaurants, and you’ve got a hefty carbon bill.
It’s a lose-lose: wasted food, wasted time, and more emissions.
💡 The Solution: AI-Driven, Carbon-Friendly Food Photography
At PhotoReady, we’ve created a zero-emission alternative to food photography:
Restaurants upload a quick photo (or even nothing at all).
Our AI finds, enhances, or generates a professional-quality food image.
Ready for delivery apps, menus, social media — in under a minute.
It’s web-based — no app needed, no photographers, no cooked-for-nothing dishes.
📊 The Carbon Impact
Based on our modelling:
| Impact Area | Estimated CO₂ Saved per 100,000 Dishes |
| Reduced Food Waste | 250 – 400 tonnes |
| Eliminated Photographer Travel | 150 – 200 tonnes |
| Avoided Dish Preparation | 50 – 100 tonnes |
| Total Estimated Savings | ~400 – 700 tonnes CO₂ |
These savings scale fast.
For a platform onboarding 50,000 restaurants a year, that’s a potential 50,000+ tonnes of CO₂ saved — annually.
🌍 Why This Matters to ESG Teams
We know you’re juggling a million priorities — electric fleets, sustainable packaging, net-zero deadlines. PhotoReady makes your life easier by:
- Complementing your green delivery and packaging goals.
- Scaling fast with a fully digital, easy-to-integrate solution.
- Cutting Scope 3 emissions by reducing food waste and photoshoot travel.
- Delivering real, measurable CO₂ reductions, not just offsets.
Plus, it’s a win for everyone: customers get meals they love, restaurants waste less, and platforms hit their 2030 climate targets with a smile.
🌱🍽️ Ready to Make Menus Greener?
If you’re leading the charge on sustainability in food delivery, let’s team up.
We’re now working with sustainability teams across the food tech and delivery ecosystem to integrate PhotoReady into their onboarding and menu update processes.
🤝 Let’s Talk
If you’re spearheading ESG or climate innovation, reach out for a 15-minute demo. We’ll dive into how PhotoReady can deliver measurable CO₂ savings for your business.
→ Ready to cut carbon from your menu?
👉 Book a carbon impact consult