Bengaluru, Aug. 18 -- The biggest challenge in replacing plastic food-delivery packaging with sustainable alternatives is not innovation but affordability, with consumers unwilling to absorb an unlimited premium for going green, Zomato Chief Sustainability Officer Anjalli Ravi Kumar said.
"Ultimately, the customer has to be willing to pay for packaging," Kumar said, stressing that consumers' willingness to pay for sustainable packaging had its limits.
For a Rs 200 biryani, consumers could be willing to pay around Rs 10 to Rs 15 for packaging that performs well, she said, putting about five per cent of the food price as a reasonable benchmark.
The comments underline a central dilemma for India's fast-growing food-delivery industry: how to...