Wednesday 31 July 2019

Holiday Inn owner pledges to check out mini plastic toiletries

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has pledged to ditch miniature toiletries across more than 5,600 of its hotels worldwide as part of its efforts to reduce plastic waste.

The owner of hotel chains, including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental, is removing the travel-sized shampoo, conditioner and bodywash bottles and replacing them with bulk-sized toiletries or refillable bottles instead by the end of 2021.

IHG currently has an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures in use across its entire hotel estate every year but the move is expected to significantly reduce plastic waste.

Hotels, including some Holiday Inn Express sites in the US and Kimpton in London, have already successfully switched to bulk dispensers or refillable bottles.

The commitment builds on the organisation’s pledge to remove plastic straws from its hotels by the end of 2019.

IHG CEO Keith Barr said: “It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly – we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect. 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.

“We’ve already made great strides in this area, with almost a third of our estate already adopting the change and we’re proud to lead our industry by making this a brand standard for every single IHG hotel. We’re passionate about sustainability and we’ll continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities.”