(TAN): In October 2019, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic, across all areas of its 33 luxury hotels, including rooms, spa, transport, restaurants and bars as well as in areas unseen by the guest, such as offices and kitchens, by the end of March 2021. A year on from the Group’s pledge, this second progress report highlights both the achievements made to date and some of the continuing challenges.
The focus remains on the elimination of 60 of the most common single-use plastic items identified by hotels which are estimated to make up 95% of the total number of items. So far, the Group’s hotels have eliminated an average of 70% of the 60 most commonly used items, excluding supplier packaging, with steady progress across all departments.
Items that have been completely eliminated and replaced with eco-alternatives include cocktail sticks, straws, body scrubs, tasting spoons, plastic spatulas and takeaway bags. One of the most used items – plastic water bottles will be replaced by glass and aluminum bottles throughout the portfolio.
Almost half of the Group’s portfolio have eliminated waste bags in guest rooms, adopting an empty-and-clean approach instead. Wall mounted dispensers to replace small plastic toiletry containers have been successfully completed and in most cases these are being installed in phases across the portfolio.
One challenge in this path is single-use plastic packaging employed for goods being delivered into hotels which is difficult to influence. Within F&B, difficulty in sourcing single use plastic free and cost-efficient alternatives to vacuum bags used in sous-vide cooking and cling film to cover food produce has hindered progress. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also led to hotel closures and low occupancies, thereby slowing the depletion of existing stocks of plastic products.
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“Whilst our ambitious timeline to eliminate all single-use plastic from our premises by the end of March 2021 may have to be adjusted as a consequence of the pandemic, we are making good progress,” said James Riley, Group Chief Executive. “I am proud that despite the current challenging conditions, our colleagues have wholly embraced this task to deliver on the Group’s sustainability responsibilities,” he added.
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