Granular Evidence on the Fast-Food Delivery Economy

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DOCUMENT PROVENANCE AND OWNERSHIP
(full original text)

This working paper was produced as part of the Invisible Journeys initiative, which began in 2023 as an independent research project aimed at addressing persistent transparency and accountability gaps in the gig economy. The research approach is grounded in ESG principles and aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Between March 2023 and September 2025, the research was conducted and fully self-funded by the author, operating as a private individual. To support policy relevance and stakeholder engagement, a dedicated website and professional identity — Refined Compliance — were developed to facilitate external communications, effective from late 2024.

In April 2025, the work was formally institutionalised through the establishment of Invisible Journeys Limited, a registered non-profit company (UK Companies House No. 16358532), which now holds the intellectual property rights to this work. The organisation is also positioned to formally recognise and cover the prior self-funded research as part of its institutional development.

This document reflects 18 months of fieldwork, encompassing original data collection (March 2023 – September 2024), interdisciplinary research (from November 2023 onward), and strategic development activities. These include stakeholder outreach, communications, training, remote engagement, and the design of a strategic framework.

This document is shared as a confidential working draft for engagement for consultation and engagement with:

• Government stakeholders
• Civil society organisations
• CSR and ESG teams
• Academic partners

Circulation is limited to authorised stakeholders. Redistribution or citation requires prior agreement.


Purpose
This brief aims to secure institutional partnerships and financial support to pilot and scale the Delivery Economy Review (DER, Appendix F) model, a structured approach to mapping and evaluating the (fast-food) delivery economy.

The DER model is designed to operate within the Circular Informational Economy (CIE) Framework, which provides the analytical and ethical foundation for its deployment.

Furthermore, the DER is conceived as part of a recurring institutional process, with a proposed implementation cycle every 5–10 years; each cycle is expected to take approximately two years, based on the scale of data and engagement required. This cyclical approach is detailed in the proposed validation framework (Multi-Stakeholder Transition Toward Transparency: A Two-Year Plan).

Further technical and operational details on both the CIE framework and the implementation cycle (validation framework) are provided in Appendices G and H.


Author
Róbert Izsák (Founder and Director, Invisible Journeys Limited)
Contact: invisible-journeys [at] refinedcompliance.com


Document Status
Confidential Working Draft – Not for Public Release – Version 1.0 (13 September 2025)


All materials are the intellectual property of Invisible Journeys Limited. This document is intended for use by invited stakeholders only. For citation, reproduction, or funding-related enquiries, please contact the author directly.