by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 10:25 AM ET, Tue July 10, 2018
Hyatt Hotels has announced that it will begin banning some single-use plastics at its properties around the world.
As of September 1, plastic straws and drink picks will be available only upon request at Hyatt properties, the company said in a statement.
"Eliminating plastic straws and drink picks builds on the environmental sustainability programs we have in place and further drives our global efforts to reduce environmental impact," Frank Lavey, senior vice president, global operations for Hyatt, said in a statement. "This is a meaningful step, and our commitment doesn't stop with straws and drink picks. We will continue exploring viable alternatives everywhere we can."
A growing list of companies have begun to recognize the incredibly damaging effects that plastic of all kinds can have on the environment, particularly the ocean.
According to a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund, current estimates are that there are more than 150 million tons of plastics in the ocean at large. If business continues as usual, the ocean will contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish by 2025, and by 2050, the oceans may have more plastics than fish, by weight.
Environmental organizations and leaders have widely urged travelers and businesses to cut down or entirely eliminate a range of harmful plastics well beyond just straws, including plastic water bottles, items such as disposable inflatable pool toys and single use toiletry bottles, to name a few.
Some companies have even begun offering plastic-free travel itineraries, to help travelers do their part.
Hyatt said its move away from straws and drink picks builds on efforts already underway across its global portfolio, including minimizing and diverting food waste, sourcing responsibly and reducing water and energy consumption.
Since launching its 2020 Environmental Sustainability Vision in 2014, Hyatt has been integrating sustainability guidelines into purchasing criteria and engaging suppliers around sustainable practices.
Among the progress detailed in Hyatt's latest Corporate Responsibility Scorecard:
-Nearly 100 percent of Hyatt's Avendra suppliers and distributors now have sustainability policies in place.
-Hyatt surpassed its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per square meter by 25 percent in all regions when compared to 2006.
-Fitness centers at Hyatt hotels across North America now offer earbuds that are recyclable rather than single-use. In 2017, more than 80 participating Hyatt hotels contributed to nearly 65,000 pairs of recycled earbuds.
Additionally, 2018 marks 10 years of Hyatt's collaboration with Clean the World, a non-profit that collects used soap and shampoo products from hotels, recycles them, and then donates them to communities in need.
Over the past nine years, Hyatt hotels have donated 475,000 pounds of bar soaps and toiletries. During the hurricanes in 2017, Clean the World donated 185,000 hygiene kits and 250,000 bars of soap.
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