Accor intends to remove all single-use plastic items from hotels by the end of 2022, as part of its participation in the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative
Accor, the hospitality group behind hotel brands such as Raffles, Sofitel, Fairmont and Banyan Tree, has announced its commitment to join the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and to remove all single-use plastic items in guest experiences from its hotels by the end of 2022.
“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,” said Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor. “What guides us is the consciousness and social awareness that drives every person who strives to be a good citizen.”
In addition to Accor’s previous commitment to eliminate all plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, the company’s new commitment includes:
- The removal of individual plastic toiletry amenities and cups by the end of 2020
- The elimination of all remaining single-use plastic items in guest rooms, meeting areas, restaurants and all leisure activities areas (spas, fitness centres, 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 for the proposed solution.
So far:
- 94% of Accor’s hotels have eliminated the use of straws, cotton buds and stirrers. The remaining 6% (mostly in China) will do it by end of March 2020.
- 89% of ibis’ hotels are using dispensers for amenities, such as shampoos. This means 2,087 ibis family hotels have already dropped single use plastic for this equipment. Accor ibis family hotels in Latin America will follow the same initiative this year.
- Fairmont has used new construction and renovation standards in another example of one of Accor’s efforts. Its hotels incorporate water filtration taps in guest rooms to eliminate bottled water altogether.
- The new Accor brand “Greet” was created to answer guests’ needs and is plastic free in all of its functions. There is zero disposable plastic at breakfast and reusable dishes are utilised for butter and jam. In addition, there is zero disposable plastic in rooms and other parts of the hotels. Accor plans to open 10 more Greet hotels in Europe this year.
In addition, several Accor hotels within the group’s portfolio of world-leading brands – including Novotel Paris les Halles, Novotel Yangon Max, Myanmar, Sofitel Bogota, 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% single use plastic free objective.
“Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time, and tourism has an important role to play in contributing to the solution,” said UN Environment Programme Economy Division Director, Ligia Noronha. “Through the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, tourism companies and destinations are supported to innovate, eliminate and circulate the way they use plastics, to advance circularity in our economies and reduce plastics pollution globally.”