Grab, the Singapore-headquartered ride-hailing and delivery app, is working on a plan to decarbonise its operations. The eight-year-old company has been seeking advice from experts to set science-based targets to reduce its carbon footprint, according to sources familiar with the process. Science-based targets are designed to keep firms’ emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming below 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. A big chunk of Grab’s emissions come from the use of its app. With 187 million registered users in eight countries, Grab is one of the largest digital platforms in Southeast Asia. Grab has made some moves in the direction of carbon neutrality already, test-driving alternatives to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. It partnered with Hyundai to trial EVs in Singapore and Indonesia in January, with Honda and Viar to test electric motorbikes in Indonesia last November, and has also trialled e-bikes for deliveries in Thailand. These pilots could help address limiting factors to EV adoption in Southeast Asia, such as range anxiety, and help get a better understanding of charging behaviour, the company told Eco-Business. Grab’s decarbonisation drive will dovetail with its other sustainability initiatives, including a reduction in the single-use plastic used for deliveries through an opt-out mechanism for plastic cutlery with food orders.

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