Iberostar cutting single-use plastics

With Earth Day approaching, Iberostar Group has announced that it will eliminate single-use plastics from its portfolio of more than 110 hotels, following an initial implementation in the chain’s 36 Spain hotels by June this year.

The initiative will see items such as bathroom amenities, bags for slippers or clothing and minibar items, replaced by products made of alternative materials such as glass, compostable cardboard or renewable plant-based items. According to Iberostar, eliminating the 1.5 million plastic bottles that will no longer be used in Iberostar hotel rooms in Spain each year will prevent the result of 43 tons of plastic waste.

This ambitious project began in 2017 following an internal corporate audit that detected all products containing plastic. Following a campaign conducted in Iberostar hotels to cut down on plastic straw use and replace them with biodegradable alternatives, usage has been reduced by 10 per cent, which means saving 10 million units from a landfill – equivalent to 1,900 kilometres or the distance between Toronto and Winnipeg.

Reducing plastic pollution is one of the key actions included in the ‘Wave of Change’ initiative, part of the Iberostar Group’s sustainability policy that channels its commitment to the environment, along with promoting certified sustainable fishing, the protection and conservation of coral reefs and care of the Mediterranean Sea.