Singapore – Regional delivery platform foodpanda has recently published its latest social impact report, focusing on the initiatives for supporting communities, helping MSMEs digitise, train and upskill delivery riders across the region during the continued pandemic in 2021.
The company has dedicated US$29m to support MSMEs across the region, like wet market vendors in Thailand and Taiwan, local mom-and pop shops in Malaysia and the Philippines and hawkers in Singapore. This comprises new digital tools to help merchants expand revenue streams and connect with new customers online, as well as fee waivers and other relief initiatives.
In addition, an additional US$6m was invested in providing riders’ welfare and benefits, such as safety training, insurance and financial support for the purchase of bicycles or motorbikes. Foodpanda also spent more than half a million US dollars to support local governments and communities in the fight against COVID-19, with the distribution of food, essentials and medical supplies to healthcare workers and people in need.
Jakob Sebastian Angele, chief executive officer at foodpanda, said, “Since foodpanda was founded in 2012, we have been driven by our value to ‘get 1% better every day’, rolling out technical features that make millions of lives better. Technology has been an especially powerful tool to help sustain livelihoods, preserve business legacies, tackle environmental challenges, and build an inclusive platform for our community of merchants, riders, and customers to thrive.”
Foodpanda has also dedicated an additional US$91,000, invested to upskill riders in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, in language, personal growth and marketing programmes for future career readiness. In Singapore, foodpanda dedicated 19,500 hours mentoring mid-career professionals as they transition to data and software engineers through the GoSchool and #GetReadySG programmes. Foodpanda also invested US$70,000 on mental wellness, including providing subscriptions to mental wellness apps for employees and riders.