Welcoming over 120 million guests and serving more than 200 million meals each year, Accor hospitality brand is possibly the biggest in the world. The global brand took a huge leap by committing to combat plastic pollution, inclusive at its properties across the globe. As one of the biggest hospitality companies, Accor joined the UN Global Tourism Plastic Initiative and will be removing all single-use plastic items in guest experience, applied in its entire properties in around two years.
The Global Tourism Plastic Initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, also demand the hospitality industry to take action by reducing plastic use and educate their guest to be more responsible and promote sustainable living.
“We are aware of the significant impact we have on our planet and our responsibility to create tangible benefits for our employees, guests, suppliers, partners and host communities,” says Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO of Accor Worldwide, according to release.
Working within the framework of its sustainable development programme for the past 25 years, Accor has committed to eliminating all plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds as the first step of company movement to sustainability, with 94% of hotels already having achieved this target.
The French hospitality company also updated its commitment to reduce waste, including the removal of individual plastic toiletry amenities and cups by the end of this year, as well as the elimination of all remaining single-use plastic items in guestrooms, meeting areas, restaurants and all leisure activities areas (spas, fitness centers, etc.) by the end of 2022.
Relevant alternatives to plastic will be proposed for each specific item, considering Life Cycle Assessments to ensure better environmental performance among the hotels under the Accor brand. With more than 200 million single-use plastic items used every year in all areas, several properties have deployed effective solutions by choosing more sustainable alternatives.
Several Accor hotels within the group’s portfolio of world-leading brands – including Novotel Paris les Halles, Novotel Yangon Max, Myanmar, Sofitel Bogota, many hotels in Bali & Lombok, Indonesia, Ibis Styles São Paulo Anhem – have already taken steps individually to be plastic-free and are advancing towards a 100 per cent single-use plastic-free objective.
Fairmont has used new construction and renovation standards, incorporating water filtration
taps in guest rooms to eliminate bottled water altogether. 89 per cent of ibis’ hotels are using dispensers for shampoo. Accor plans to open 10 more Greet hotels in Europe this year, as the properties certified with its zero-disposable plastic in rooms and other parts of the hotels.
“Our efforts do not stop here. We are an innovative group by nature and we continuously search for more areas where we can reduce our impact on the global environment while helping our local communities in their efforts to create a healthier, more sustainable future,” said Sébastien Bazin.
More hotel groups are taking the pledge to remove single-plastics at its properties. Big groups including Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott and IHG have all recently announced initiative to their waste and invite its guests to promote a more environmentally friendly living.
