Etihad guest and Talabat expand partnership to offset carbon emissions

Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and talabat, the region’s leading food, and q-commerce delivery platform, are expanding their partnership with the Etihad Guest ‘Miles on the Go’ programme to include carbon offsetting until December 2023.

The original agreement was signed in September 2021 and allowed Etihad Guest members to earn and redeem miles when ordering food, groceries, and other essentials on the talabat platform in the UAE. Today, Etihad Guest members can also contribute to the Conscious Choices sustainability initiative recently launched by the airline. In partnership with CarbonClick, the project will offset each ride made by a talabat rider through the Miles on the Go programme, helping to contribute to the overall effort by the airline to offset its carbon footprint, making it the first in the world to reward its guests for adopting more sustainable practices.

Kim Hardaker, Director Loyalty and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We are very proud of our Conscious Choices initiative and our venture with talabat through the Miles on the Go programme is an example of our constant strive to find new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This partnership enhances our commitment and that of our guests towards making a positive impact to a more sustainable future.”

Onur Elgun, Vice President of Strategy at talabat, added: “As a company, we are stepping up our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable future focusing on offsetting and reducing our carbon footprint. Therefore, the timing of this couldn’t be better, and it’s an opportunity to positively contribute to projects that create clean energy, a key driver in reducing global carbon emissions”.

“We’re very proud to continue expanding our partnership with Etihad Airways, especially in this area, and supporting them in their carbon offsetting goals. Through this, we will be able to utilize our combined platforms to help make a difference as part of our ongoing commitment for a better tomorrow”.

The offsets will be invested in the Sichuan Household Biogas Programme through Etihad’s  partner CarbonClick. This project helps Chinese farmers recycle farm waste into clean energy, which can be used for cooking, heating, or lighting instead of coal and firewood.

Members can use the Etihad Guest mobile app to register their eligible Visa cards and earn one mile for every AED 3 spent on the talabat platform using the linked card. The app will also prompt members to choose if they wish to earn miles or redeem miles on the transaction.

Customers using the talabat app who would like to start earning miles on Etihad Guest can sign up for free on etihadguest.com, while Etihad Guest members who would like to start earning and spending their miles through the talabat platform can download the Etihad Guest App and register their Visa cards on Miles on the Go.

Over the last two years, despite the challenges of COVID-19, Etihad has introduced several significant CO2 reduction initiatives under its Greenliner sustainability programme. This includes adopting thousands of mangroves, using sustainable fuels, reducing contrails, flying optimised flight paths, operating more electric vehicles and working with partners who share its vision for cleaner skies.