The event recognized innovative startups and eco-conscious restaurants driving the shift towards plastic-free food delivery and dine-in experiences across India.
Zomato, one of India’s leading food ordering and delivery platforms, successfully concluded the second edition of its Plastic-Free Future Packathon, held in partnership with Startup India and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India. The high-impact event took place at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, bringing together 35+ startups, around 50 restaurant partners, government officials, and investors to spotlight scalable, eco-friendly packaging solutions for the food industry.
This year’s Packathon celebrated innovation across the sustainable packaging landscape, recognizing top solutions in both ready-to-scale and prototype stages. The winners were selected from a competitive pool of 128 startups across 21 states, with nearly 47 women-led enterprises participating. Over 40 startups showcased their breakthroughs at the Sustainable Packaging Expo, demonstrating India’s growing momentum towards green innovation in the restaurant and delivery sectors.
In addition to startup accolades, the event hosted the Zomato Plastic-Free Future Packaging Awards, which honored 24 national and regional restaurant brands for embracing sustainable packaging without compromising on customer experience.
Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Eternal, emphasized Zomato’s commitment to driving change in the food delivery ecosystem. “The Packathon is a unique bridge connecting restaurants, investors, and innovators working towards a plastic-free future,” she stated.
Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary of Startup India, DPIIT, praised the initiative, noting its importance in advancing India’s sustainability goals. “With alternatives to plastic packaging becoming increasingly viable, it’s heartening to see startups lead the charge. Packathon initiatives like this are crucial in bringing innovation to the forefront,” he added.
Among the winners were IMAGA Trade and Craft Pvt. Ltd. in the ready-to-scale category and Agrileaf Exports Pvt. Ltd. in the prototype category. Both expressed gratitude for the platform and highlighted the value of direct engagement with restaurants and policymakers. Restaurant brand Nomad Pizza also received recognition for its eco-conscious packaging choices in the pizza category.
The Packathon forms part of the broader Zomato Plastic-Free Future Program, which has recognized over 200 restaurant brands and supported more than 7,500 restaurants across 400+ cities in reducing plastic use. These restaurants now carry a ‘low plastic packaging’ tag on the Zomato app.
Furthering its environmental efforts, Zomato operates a 100% plastic-neutral delivery initiative, recycling an equivalent volume of plastic used in its packaging. Since FY23, the company has successfully recycled over 45,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste.
This milestone event reaffirmed Zomato’s leadership in fostering sustainable practices across India’s food service sector and underscored the role of collaboration in building a plastic-free future.