The days of stealing tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel from your hotel room are gone.
Marriott International announced an initiative to swap single-use plastic toiletries for larger, pump-topped containers.
The company has already introduced replacements in some 1,000 North American properties, and expects most of its hotels to make the switch by December 2020.
Large, pump-topped decanters contain the same amount of product as about a dozen single-use vials—the latter which are not usually recycled, and instead end up in hotel trash cans, generating refuse that never truly decomposes.
Once fully rolled out worldwide, the toiletry program should prevent 500 million itty-bitty bottles annually from ending up in landfills: That’s nearly 1.7 million pounds of plastic—a 30 percent annual reduction from current amenity plastic usage.
This marks Marriott’s second recent global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics, “which underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact,” CEO Arne Sorenson said in a statement.
“It’s a huge priority for us,” he continued. “Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels.”
You may have already visited one of the firm’s five brands—Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, Fairfield by Marriott, or TownePlace Suites—that moved to pump dispensers staring last year.
Another four—Aloft Hotels, Element by Westin, Four Points, and Moxy Hotels—previously implemented the large-bottle concept, while AC by Marriott is “well on its way” to making the change.
The global project is part of Marriott International’s Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction platform addressing social and environmental issues.
The company is working toward several sustainability goals like reducing landfill waste by 45 percent and responsibly sourcing its top 10 product purchase categories—including guestroom amenities—by 2025.
Hotels may not be the first place you’d expect to go green. But Marriott International is committed reducing its environmental impact as part of the Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction platform.
The organization is juggling several sustainability goals, including reducing landfill waste by 45 percent and responsibly sourcing its top 10 product purchase categories (including guestroom amenities) by 2025.
In July 2018, all Marriott hotels began phasing out disposable plastic straws and stirrers, instead switching to an on-demand approach with alternative products when possible.
The firm met its goal a year later, estimating an annual diversion of 1 billion plastic straws from landfills.
More on Geek.com:
- Marriott Invites Guests to Redecorate—With a Bottle of Water and AR
- New Zealand Bans Single-Use Plastic Shopping Bags
- Pop-Up NYC Museum Highlights Burden of Single-Use Plastics
