IHG switches to bulk products to reduce plastic waste

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the leading hotel companies in the world, today announced that all its hotels that add up to almost 843,000 rooms will change their bathroom amenities to a bulk presentation, this transition will be completed during 2021. Taking advantage of your efforts To reduce plastic waste as part of a broader sustainability agenda, this promise makes IHG the first global hotel company to commit all its brands to eliminating bathroom miniatures in favor of bulk products.

Keith Barr, CEO, IHG, commented: “It is more important than ever that companies are committed to operating in a responsible way - we know this is what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers expect. Making the switch to larger amenities in more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our environmental impact and its consequences while we carry out the change.

“We have already advanced a lot in this area, almost a third of our properties have already adopted the change and we are proud to lead our industry by making this a brand standard for each IHG hotel. We are passionate about sustainability and will continue exploring ways to make a positive difference for the environment and our local communities. "

Currently, IHG has an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures in use every year in all its hotel properties. As the new brand standard is adopted between now and 2021, the company expects to see a significant reduction in plastic waste. This commitment is based on IHG's promise to eliminate plastic sorbets in its hotels by the end of 2019, and a series of major waste reduction initiatives that are already underway. IHG continues to be part of the FTSE4Good Index, and recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Circular Economy 100 network, demonstrating its commitment to work with partners from various industries to build a more sustainable world.

Joe Murphy, Director of the CE100, of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation said: “IHG's participation in the reduction of plastic waste through this new commitment is welcome. Achieving a circular economy will be a challenging journey, but by working together we can find solutions to take out waste, keep materials in use and regenerate our environment”.