Zomato shareholder challenges '100% green deliveries' claim: 'False claims to sound cool', Deepinder Goyal responds

A recent exchange between Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal and shareholder Rajesh Sawhney has received much attention online as the two discussed the company's environmental claims and efforts toward achieving sustainability. The discussion was primarily focused on Zomato's claim of "100% Green Deliveries" which Sawhney believed to be simple 'false claims.'

The conversation began with Rajesh Sawhney pointing out skepticism about Zomato's claim of "100% Green Deliveries," emphasising that "Companies like Zomato should not make false claims just to sound cool."

¡°100% Green Deliveries¡± on ¡°Petrol Bikes¡± delivering ¡°trekhe meethe golpaggpe¡± ??

Companies like Zomato should not make false claims just to sound cool.

There is nothing ¡°Green¡± in this pic. pic.twitter.com/69YUvloRLe

¡ª Rajesh Sawhney ?? (@rajeshsawhney) December 5, 2024

Goyal responded by clarifying Zomato's environmental commitment. He stated, "We offset more than 100% of the carbon our delivery fleet generates. We have been doing this for several years and are working toward our Net Zero goal by 2030."

He also highlighted their efforts to manage waste, saying that Zomato has recycled "more than 100% of the plastic used for food deliveries."

We offset more than 100% of the carbon our delivery fleet generates. We have been doing this for the last few years, while taking the required steps to reach our promise of Net Zero by 2030.

Also, we recycle more than 100% of the plastic used for food deliveries. At the same¡­ https://t.co/Zol8DhtlPv

¡ª Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) December 5, 2024

Goyal emphasised transparency, stating that public companies like Zomato are held accountable through verification by public institutions.

Sawhney responded further stating, "I would appreciate if you could share an audited report on 'Offset' that entitles Zomato to claim '100% Green Deliveries'. I couldn't find anything meaningful on the Internet."

First of all, I appreciate that you care about ¡°Green.¡± As a shareholder in your company I would appreciate if you could share an audited report on ¡°Offset¡± that entitles Zomato to claim ¡°100% Green Deliveries.¡± In 2024. From the tweet, I can infer that ¡°Net Zero¡± will be¡­ https://t.co/Baa0EFVfaF

¡ª Rajesh Sawhney ?? (@rajeshsawhney) December 6, 2024

Rajesh Sawhney also pushed for Zomato to accelerate the transition of its delivery fleet to electric vehicles (EVs), particularly in Gurugram, given the increasing air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR): "You can really go 100% EV at least in Gurugram to set an example for other delivery companies."

In response, Goyal reassured the shareholder by sharing detailed progress made by Zomato, from the company¡¯s renewable energy certificates (IRECs) and carbon offset purchases to implementing implementing "plastic-neutral deliveries."

Check out his detailed post below:

Thank you for acknowledging our sustainability efforts. This should address your concerns:

1. Our international renewable energy certificates (IREC) for Scope 2 emissions, and carbon offset purchases for Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions have been verified by our ESG assurance¡­ https://t.co/9ILjV3Gwxg

¡ª Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) December 6, 2024

Goyal concluded his response by sharing resources for transparency, linking shareholders to Zomato's latest Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report, which details their progress and initiatives.

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