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.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
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