In the race to deliver groceries and meals in 10 minutes or less, we may be losing sight of something more important - the well-being of delivery partners and the health of our planet.

Quick-commerce apps like Swiggy, Blinkit, Amazon Now, and Zepto have brought incredible convenience and created thousands of jobs across India. We truly appreciate this innovation - it has made urban living easier and provided livelihoods to countless families.

But most of us, as customers, don’t really need every order in 10 minutes. Groceries, snacks, and household items can easily wait 30–60 minutes. The pressure for ultra-fast delivery creates avoidable risks and environmental strain - without adding real value to most customers.

The Hidden Cost of Our Convenience

Employee well-being / delivery partner impact:

• A survey of over 10,000 app-based drivers & delivery persons found that 78% of delivery personnel reported working more than 10 hours a day.
• Another survey found that 99.3% of drivers, and 98.5% of delivery personnel, experienced anxiety, stress or chronic pain due to their work conditions.
• Around 48.2% reported not being able to take even one day off per week.

Environmental / carbon-footprint impact

• A recent study estimates that by 2030, the Indian e-commerce/parcel-delivery sector could emit 8 million tonnes of CO₂ annually (≈ 80 lakh tons) due to the expected growth
• In the city of Mumbai, a survey found that last-mile delivery (for about 400 million parcels/year) already contributes ~80,000 tons of CO₂ annually just in that city.
• Research found that the “last mile” leg of delivery (i.e., from distribution hub to consumer) accounts for at least half of the total emissions of an e-commerce delivery in India

Our Ask

We urge Swiggy, Blinkit, Amazon Now, and similar platforms to introduce a Delivery Speed Choice at checkout:

Express (10–15 minutes) - for genuine emergencies
Standard (30–60 minutes) - for regular orders
This single change can create a fairer, greener, and safer ecosystem - without sacrificing convenience.

Why This Is a Win for Everyone
For delivery partners: Safer work conditions, lower stress, better retention
For customers: The freedom to choose convenience or conscience
For companies: Improved brand trust, customer goodwill, and sustainable growth
For the planet: Reduced carbon emissions and less traffic congestion

We are not against fast delivery. We just believe it should be a choice, not the default.

Quick commerce has proven that technology can transform lives - now it’s time to show it can also care.

Let’s make delivery innovation not just faster, but fairer and more sustainable.

#SparePartnerSparePlanet