Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading superapp, providing users with transportation, food delivery, and digital payments services through a mobile app. In 2019, the company introduced a simple cutlery opt-out toggle, allowing customers the choice to opt-out cutlery from their food orders. This small innovation would kickstart a sustainability revolution, saving over 2.6 billion single-use cutlery from entering landfills and counting.
Leading this sustainability revolution is Cheryl Goh, Group Head of Marketing and Sustainability at Grab and 2021 Malaysia Acumen Fellow. As an avid diver and nature lover, Cheryl felt a deep sense of responsibility to protect the environment and the vulnerable communities that comprise Grab's gig workers.
"Vulnerable communities tend to be in the bottom half of the pyramid. This tends to be the people that we serve. Our drivers are more likely to be hit by floods than many other segments of the community."
The company's mission is to create income opportunities and has succeeded in doing so for e-hailing drivers, riders, and small-medium businesses over the years. In 2022, they provided livelihood opportunities to over 2,100 persons with disabilities while also taking strides towards environmental conservation, planting over 200,000 trees regionally.
When she took the helm over a decade ago, Cheryl wanted to do something meaningful and lead by example on the sustainability front. She decided to lead the charge to ramp up Grab’s sustainability journey.
"Sustainability may be a big word, but at Grab it was natural because the company is built by people who really care about social impact and make a positive difference."
Cheryl acknowledges that her sustainability efforts and successes are a result of the collective efforts of her team. Sustainability has been ingrained in Grab's DNA since its inception, even before it became a popular buzzword.
As the introduction and demand for Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks in corporations gained traction, Grab has emerged as a trailblazer in advancing environmental sustainability across Asia. But leading in this space has not been without its challenges.
Cheryl shares her journey of pushing against the norm to drive greater positive impact for the planet.
Against the Grain for Greater Good
For a company as large as Grab, dealing with numerous stakeholders presents challenges when striving to lead a more sustainable corporation. Cheryl had to find win-win-win solutions for all stakeholders, but implementing actions often required integrating different, sometimes contradictory values.
This tension often left Cheryl at odds when deciding between profit and driving impact.
"In any given situation, there will always be opposing forces, and we always look at those opposing forces as problems. In the case of Grab, it was margins vs mission."
GrabFood, which meets the demand for on-the-go food deliveries and takeaways, initially provided plastic cutlery. However, the convenience of having cutlery readily available came at a cost to the environment.
To address this issue and reduce waste, Grab launched the cutlery toggle, offering customers a choice to opt-out cutlery from their food orders. Any changes made could impact customer satisfaction, and Cheryl expected pushback.
"When we launched the opt-out toggle we were afraid of consumer sentiments. With more faith that this is good and what consumers want, we just auto opt- out. It's about starting small, building conviction, driving user adoption and eventually having a super high impact."
Acknowledging the positive impact of the cutlery toggle and its acceptance by customers, Cheryl and Grab took a stand to make it a permanent opt-out feature. In 2022, this initiative saved 898 million pieces of single-use cutlery, underscoring the effectiveness of their sustainability efforts.
Pioneering efforts require grit, tenacity and conviction. Cheryl found a safe space in her Acumen Fellowship cohort to wrestle with the tensions that come with decision making that will ultimately benefit all.
