The era of disposable bathroom bottles is nearing its end. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announced that its hotels around the world will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities, as a sustainable measure to reduce plastic waste. Hotel guests within the IHG group will now have access to bath amenities such as shampoo, conditioner and body wash in large, refillable containers.
IHG is the first global hotel company to commit all its brands to ditching miniature disposable bottles in favor of bulk-size amenities. Their hotel brands include InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Six Senses, Regent, Staybridge and Kimpton, among others. This reduction in plastic use at almost 843,000 IHG hotel rooms around the world will surely have a positive impact on the environment by the time the transition is complete in 2021.
“It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly,” says Keith Barr, executive director of IHG. “Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change.”
IHG: A Sustainable Stay
This measure is the most recent in a series of IHG initiatives to reduce waste and run sustainably, such as:
- Commiting to stop use of plastic straws by the end of 2019.
- Donating furniture, fixtures and equipment discarded during renovations to non-profit organizations.
- Furnishing their Voco Hotels with quilts and pillows stuffed with 100-percent recycled materials.
- Reducing food waste by 30 percent with the help of artificial intelligence technology developed by Winnow.
- Implementing their IHG Green Engage program to manage the waste of their hotels more effectively.
- Joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 network, an initiative that brings together companies and organizations willing to collaborate for a sustainable world.
These steps have been well received among IHG guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers. IHG’s pro-environment actions prove that companies can be both successful and eco-friendly.
