Boutique chain Edition Hotels has unveiled a new initiative to omit single use plastic from the hotel industry.
The initiative – ‘Stay Plastic Free’ – was developed by Ben Pundole (Vice President of Brand Experiences) will see all Edition hotels become 90% single use plastic free by the end of Q1 2018 – with the intention of being 100% single use plastic free by the end of Q1 2019.
The company says the campaign has been inspired by the recent anti-plastic activism in the UK, spurred in part by Sir David Attenborough’s widely-viewed Blue Planet series.
In a statement Edition Hotels said: “The initiative strives to onboard others both within the hospitality industry and outside of to commit to removing plastic from everyday use – and provides the tools and resources to help them do so. The initiative will inspire hotels and hoteliers worldwide to use alternatives to single-use plastic.”
Stay Plastic Free will provide a library of plastic alternative vendors and contacts for everything from plastic free mini bar items, coffee cups, straws, water bottles, bathroom amenities and food containers.
Working alongside both Lonely Whale and Project Zero, led by Tyrone Wood and James Jagger, Stay Plastic Free has enlisted support from both oceans charities and the scientists behind them. The program has also enlisted support from industry authorities including Randy Gerber, Alan Faena and Andre Balazs as advocates.
In addition to plastic reductions throughout its properties, Edition is leading a campaign committee of influential hoteliers —which Pundole hopes will include the likes of Design Hotels, Soho House, and Chiltern Firehouse — to look at industry-wide solutions to the plastic problem.
As part of the campaign Edition will produce a short film highlighting the impact of single use plastic from the hotel industry on the environment.
