Following hotel group IHG‘s plans to remove miniatures from all of its hotels, editor Hamish Kilburn investigates the significance of opting for bulk-size amenities to reduce plastic waste…
If it takes for David Attenborough to take over the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage in order for the world – and our industry – to sit up and make changes, then so be it. There is no doubt about it that The Blue Planet effect has swept across the UK – and consumers are now demanding for companies to clean up their act to eliminate single-use plastic products.
In its continued effort to reduce plastic waste – and following its and other hotel brand’s decision to eliminate plastic straws in 2019 – IHG has recently pledged to eliminate miniatures from its hotels by 2021. The group, which currently uses an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures each year, is the first global hotel company to commit all brands – to removing bathroom miniatures in favour of bulk-size amenities.
“It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly – we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect,” said Keith Barr, CEO, IHG. “Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change.
“We’ve already made great strides in this area, with almost a third of our estate already adopting the change and we’re proud to lead our industry by making this a brand standard for every single IHG hotel. We’re passionate about sustainability and we’ll continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities.”
IHG remains a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index, and recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 network, signalling its commitment to working with cross-industry partners to build a more sustainable world.
“We welcome IHG’s action to reduce plastic waste through this new commitment,” said Joe Murphy, Lead of the CE100, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “Achieving a circular economy will be a challenging journey, but by working together we can find solutions to design out waste, keep materials in use, and regenerate our environment.”
Switching to bulk-size amenities is a tried and tested approach. Whether for business or leisure, hotel guests increasingly want their stays to be more sustainable without any impact on the quality of their experience.
Hotel Designs will be leading the opening session of Independent Hotel Show London on October 15, which will be entitled: The Conscious Hotel Room Report.
Main image credit: IHG/Kimpton Hotels
