Zomato launches packaging selection platform for restaurants

Zomato has launched PackSwitch, a digital platform designed to help restaurants in India select more suitable and sustainable packaging for takeaway and food-delivery applications.

The interactive system guides food businesses through packaging choices based on the specific dish being delivered rather than promoting a single material as universally suitable. Restaurants can compare packaging options, review their performance characteristics and connect directly with verified suppliers.

Packaging recommendations start with the food

PackSwitch is structured around the idea that different foods create very different packaging requirements. Curries, pizza, desserts, drinks and rice-based dishes can require different levels of leak resistance, grease protection, moisture management and temperature performance.

Restaurants begin by selecting a dish or product category. The platform then recommends packaging materials considered suitable for the application and explains the properties associated with each option.

Multiple alternative materials included

The platform covers a broad range of packaging materials, including bagasse, aluminium, areca palm leaf, compostable plastics, clay, glass and several paper-based solutions.

This material-neutral approach is intended to help restaurants evaluate packaging according to actual use conditions. For example, a container used for biryani may need to withstand both steam and oil, while a different format may be more appropriate for dry snacks or desserts.

More than 100 suppliers connected to the platform

Once restaurants identify a suitable packaging format, PackSwitch allows them to connect with suppliers. According to Zomato, the network currently includes more than 100 verified packaging suppliers across India.

Providing access to suppliers addresses another barrier faced by smaller food businesses, which may understand the need to reduce plastic but struggle to identify reliable alternatives that meet both technical and commercial requirements.

Platform builds on Plastic-Free Future programme

PackSwitch expands Zomato’s wider Plastic-Free Future initiative. Since December 2024, more than 10,000 restaurants across over 500 Indian cities have been recognised for using alternatives to conventional plastic packaging for their main dishes.

By 31 March 2026, participating restaurants had collectively delivered more than 100 million orders using what Zomato describes as low-plastic packaging solutions.

Material substitution alone is not enough

The initiative highlights a growing challenge in sustainable food packaging: replacing plastic with another material does not automatically produce a better packaging system. Alternative materials must still protect food, prevent leakage and withstand the conditions encountered during transport.

Poor material selection can lead to failed packaging, food waste or the need for additional layers and components, reducing the environmental benefits of the original substitution.

Digital tools could support packaging decisions

PackSwitch demonstrates how digital platforms can help smaller businesses make more informed packaging decisions without requiring specialist technical knowledge.

By combining application guidance, material comparisons and supplier access within one system, Zomato is attempting to make the transition towards lower-plastic food delivery packaging more practical for restaurants operating at different scales.