The CEO of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group says the company's recent move to eliminate personalized, single-use plastic containers for toiletries will be a game-changer in the industry.
The decision, announced last week, will impact about 5,600 hotels and 850,000 guest rooms, according to IHG, which operates 17 hotel brands, including Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza.
"By 2021, we can retrofit all of our hotel rooms around the world to move to bulk amenities, and stop putting 200 million small pieces of plastic into the environment," IHG CEO Keith Barr told Cheddar. "We're really excited about it, but it's just a first step."
The decision comes as the hotel industry faces growing pressure to lessen their environmental impact. Eliminating extra plastics could be a good place to look.
More than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, according to the United Nations. The international organization also reports that global plastic production has increasingly trended toward single-use products.
Historically, just 9 percent of plastic has been recycled.
"We have to do more around supply chain, how we supply hotels, how we renovate hotels, to make sure our industry is more sustainable," said Barr. He said that IHG also works with bedding made from recycled materials and works with nonprofits to donate furniture the company no longer uses.
"Around the world, we're recognizing that tourism needs to be more sustainable," said Barr. "I'm excited that we're the first mover on this, but I would expect my peers and other companies to follow suit in good time."
Last year, IHG, Marriott International, and Hilton Hotels, among other brands, committed to eliminate their use of plastic straws.
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!