Marriott International has announced that the initiative to reduce plastic waste in 20 percent of its hotels was so successful that it will now exchange single-use plastic bottles for toiletries with larger, refillable bottles, at all 7,000 properties worldwide. Arne Sorenson, Marriott president and CEO, said in a statement, “This is our second global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics in just over a year, which underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact. It’s a huge priority for us.”
Under the new policy, most Marriott branded hotels will make the change to refillable pump-dispensers by the end of 2020. This year, several other brands, such as InterContinental Hotels Groups’ Kimpton Hotels, introduced policies banning single-use plastics and more are expected to join the movement.
While the main motivation behind the trend may be environmental, there is a small financial saving for hotels, and the industry may be forced to make the switch to reusable bottles sooner rather than later as states introduce legislation. For example, California has already passed Assembly Bill 1162 which outlaws the use of single-use toiletry bottles in hotels by 2023.
Meeting planners can learn more about the issue and sign the Positive Impact plastics pledge here.
For tips on traveling without using any plastic containers, read this MeetingsNet blog.
