NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Feb;5(2):212-220. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-00961-1. Epub 2020 Oct 19.
Plastic waste is a growing environmental concern. The food delivery industry is criticized for its environmental impact, especially its current use of plastic packaging. At the same time, the environment impacts the industry. We show that air pollution is a behavioural driver of food delivery consumption in the urban developing world. Our hypothesis is that individuals are more likely to order delivery when their personal cost of exposure to the outdoor environment rises. We surveyed office workers in three Chinese cities and found that an increase of 100 μg m in particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) raised the propensity to order food delivery by two-fifths of the sample mean. We used photographic evidence to quantify disposable plastic in meal delivery. Data from an online delivery platform with a broad customer base indicate a smaller, but still substantial, causal link between air quality and food delivery. Overall, air pollution control brings plastic waste co-benefits.
塑料废物是日益严重的环境问题。外卖行业因其对环境的影响而受到批评，尤其是其目前对塑料包装的使用。与此同时，环境也对外卖行业产生影响。我们表明，空气污染是发展中国家城市外卖消费的行为驱动因素。我们的假设是，当个人接触户外环境的个人成本上升时，他们更有可能订购外卖。我们调查了中国三个城市的上班族，发现颗粒物污染（PM2.5）增加 100μg/m 时，样本平均值的五分之二会增加点外卖的倾向。我们使用照片证据来量化送餐中的一次性塑料使用量。来自拥有广泛客户群的在线送餐平台的数据表明，空气质量和外卖之间存在较小但仍然很大的因果关系。总的来说，控制空气污染带来了塑料废物的共同效益。
