Worldwide: Accor’s latest initiative will come into effect in nearly 5,000 hotels in 110 countries.
For each single-use plastic product, solutions have either been identified or are in the process of being identified. Altnerative solutions will be considered for its operational impact, costs, and environmental performance.
Accor has also committed to join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organisation, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Some hotels that have already made plastic-free pledges include:
Sofitel Bogota – David Kianni, general manager of the Columbian property, said: “Sustainability is very important to me and I know its importance for our future and the next generations to follow, including my little girl. This said, I decided to challenge my team to become more sustainable and to go plastic free. Of course, supported fully by my team and my region. This is a team effort!”
Novotel Paris les Halles – Asmahane Benamara, who is in charge of sustainability projects at the hotel, said: “In our hotel, offering our guests a sustainable experience is key. Convinced of this priority, the hotel’s owner as well as our team took the removal of all single-use plastic as a priority. We first made an inventory of all plastic products we had in our rooms, meetings, and at our breakfast buffet and found relevant ecological alternatives. We received positive feedbacks from guests and now want reinforce our communication to them.”
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess – this five-star hotel in Arizona has incorporated water filtration taps in guest rooms. Michael Ortiz, Accor’s Planet 21 sustainability chairman, said: “Our largest challenge was finding suppliers of adequate replacements. Often suppliers in our region have not yet answered the call to action on the scale demanded; therefore, supplies quickly ran out. In one instance, paper straws were substituted with corn based compostable straws that upon arrival in the Arizona heat, had melted together. This implantation challenge served to highlight the success of providing straws only upon request. The challenge of straw supply dwindling led to a deeper understanding of the reduction that was taking place and the guest satisfaction at the same time.”
Mercure Singapore – 100 per cent of the plastic stirrers have already been removed, and the hotel has since changed its takeaway boxes and cutlery to more sustainable alternatives. Kevin Bossino, general manager, said: “As the saying goes: ‘we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children’. We owe it to the next generation to do our every bit possible in reducing the plastic consumption in our hotels.”
