Hotel brand Marriott International says the move will prevent up to 500 million mini plastic bottles going to landfills

Marriott

The move from Marriott international follows a trial of the scheme in 1,000 properties in North America last year (Credit: Marriott)

Major US hotel brand Marriott International has announced a cross-chain ban on single-use toiletry bottles, with products being replaced by large reusable pump-topped bottles.

It follows a successful trial of the scheme across around 1,000 properties in North America last year.

The firm says the expansion will see the company prevent 500 million mini bottles going into landfill, with the worldwide switch expected to be made by December 2020.

Marriott International’s president and chief executive officer Arne Sorenson said: “This is our second global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics in just over a year.

“This underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact. It’s a huge priority for us.

“Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels.”

 

The moves Marriott International have made to make its hotels more sustainable

Currently, more than 20% of Marriott International’s 7,000+ properties offer the larger-pump-topped bottles in guestroom bathrooms.

The trial first took place in January 2018, replacing the single-use toiletry bottles in guest bathrooms of around 450 select-service hotels with larger bottles that contain more product.

marriott single-use toiletry
The move is as part of Marriott International’s Serve 360 programme (Credit: Wikimedia)

It’s part of the organisation’s Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction platform, which focuses on social and environmental issues.

As part of this scheme, the firm has made several sustainability commitments which include the reduction of landfill waste by 45% and responsibly sourcing the top ten products it purchases – which includes guest amenities – by 2025.

The initiative comes 13 months after the company’s first plastic reduction programme, addressing the use of plastic straws across its hotels.

As of July 2018, the company began phasing out disposable plastic straws and stirrers, switching instead to an on-demand approach to find alternative products wherever possible.

In July 2019, the company met its goal, resulting in the estimated annual diversion of one billion straws from landfills.

 

What other hotel chains are doing to reduce plastic waste

The move from Marriott follows on from a decision made by the Walt Disney Company to introduce refillable in-room amenities, such as complimentary soaps and shower gel, across its hotels and cruise liners over the next few years.

It claims the move will reduce plastics in guest rooms by 80%.

marriott single-use toiletry
Disney says the use of refillable toiletries will reduce the plastic waste from guest rooms by around 80% (Credit: Wikimedia/Scdis32/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disneygrandfloridian.jpg)

The Walt Disney Company’s subsidiary Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products chairman Bob Chapek said: “Eliminating plastic straws and other plastic items are meaningful steps in our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship.

“These new global efforts help reduce our environmental footprint, and advance our long-term sustainability goals.”