Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 18 OCTOBER 2019 D AY 3 TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA I T B A S I A S H O W D A I L I E S 8 plastic straws and up to 20 million water bottles annually. They also plan to cut their environmental impact in half by 2030. SIX SENSES One of the pioneers of innovation in this space, Six Senses operates 11 resorts and 31 spas in over 20 countries that By Stanley Ho With sustainable travel the new norm, these hotels are phasing out single-use plastics Plastic Not Fantastic: 73% of travellers prefer eco-friendly accommodation P lastic is one of the most defining inventions of our time, yet there's no denying its negative impact on our environment. More than 76% of global plastics produced in the last six decades has ended up as waste in landfills and oceans. That is equivalent to 6.3 billion tons of plastics, or 80 million blue whales. A new breed of environmentally conscious travellers is emerging. According to Booking.com, almost three quarters (72%) of travellers believe that people need to act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet for future generations. Sustainable travel is now the new norm, with most travellers (73%) preferring travel and accommodation alternatives that are eco- friendly. Hotels – who often provide disposable products on a mass scale – are now ditching single-use plastics from their daily operations as they know they have the unique opportunity to really impact the effects of global plastic consumption. Here are 10 hotels who have made major efforts in phasing out single-use plastics and reducing their environmental footprint: Hotels leading the charge in sustainability HILTON Across 650 managed hotels around the world, Hilton has committed to removing plastic straws. At the same time, Hilton has removed plastic water bottles from its conference rooms. The hotel group estimates that this will save roughly five million hotels and resorts along with its corporate HQ will be straw-free. In total, the company expects to eliminate 1 billion plastic straws each year. In addition, the company has introduced a new shower-product dispenser system in lieu of providing throwaway shampoo and conditioner bottles. TAJ HOTELS, RESORTS & PALACES Run by Indian Hotels Company Ltd, the Taj Group of hotels is actively working to gradually phase out single-use plastic completely. All plastic wrappers for in-room amenities have been replaced with oxo biodegradable wrapping, while sandwich trays, utensils and straws are now offered in wooden and paper alternatives. ACCOR HOTELS It set a ban in June 2018 on plastic straws of 125 UK locations. Instead, restaurants and bars will go straw-free when possible, while paper biodegradable alternatives will made available if necessary. THE RED CARNATION HOTELS COLLECTION The collection of boutique hotels and lodges began banning single-use plastics from December 2017 as part of the company's "Multi- Year Plastics Elimination Strategy." They've also begun to replace plastic straws and takeaway coffee cups and lids with eco-friendly alternatives made from biodegradable materials. BANYAN TREE HOTELS & RESORTS The Singapore brand phased out the use of all disposable plastics from their properties since April 2019. These include plastic straws, water bottles and cutlery across 43 hotels, 60 spas, 72 retail galleries and three golf courses across 24 countries. 72% of travellers believe that people need to act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet for future generations. Sustainable travel is now the new norm. Hhotel chains are phasing our single-use plastics for a more sustianable future. bottle its own water on-site to reduce the use of plastic water bottles. They've also begun using several alternatives to plastic straws that includes paper, bamboo and lemongrass. As part of their "Earth Lab" initiative, Six Senses has adopted a policy of zero-waste, meaning all materials have a new purpose. FOUR SEASONS HOTELS & RESORTS They had announced all 110 of their hotels would ban the use of plastic straws, while an estimated 20% of the locations are already in the process of switching to biodegradable straws. ANANTARA AND AVANI HOTELS & RESORTS Anantara and AVANI announced that they would eliminate plastic straws from all hotels and resorts from 2018. It became one of the first of its kind in the Asia region to eradicate plastic straws completely, with a roll-out strategy expected in Australasia, Europe and Middle East. HYATT HOTELS Since September 2018, Hyatt Hotels put into motion an initiative to eliminate plastic straws and drink picks. These items are now only available upon request. In 2014, Hyatt introduced its 2020 Environmental Sustainability Vision that included ambitious targets to reduce energy consumption, emissions, water usage and waste. MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL It revealed that by July 2019 all 6,500 of its worldwide CREDIT: EHL

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