Phasing out single-use plastics in meetings & events operations
More than one million meetings take place at Radisson Hotel Group worldwide each year.
To respond to the call of UN Environment to ban plastic pollution at the 2018 World Environment Day, Radisson Hotel Group set up the objective to ban single-use plastics in meetings and events organised in its premises by 2020, and raise awareness among corporate guests and inspire similar initiatives around the world.
Background information
Approximately 6,300 million tonnes of plastics are estimated
to have reached end-of-life since the start of mass production
in the 1950s. With only around 9% of global plastics waste
recycled and 12% incinerated, and the fact that plastic
is extremely durable, the majority of these plastics are
accumulating, either in landfills or in the environment.
Environmental impacts range from short-term impacts, such
as the entanglement of animals, to longer term impacts, such
as the bioaccumulation of toxic compounds in the food chain.
Over 500 species are known to be affected by ingestion,
entanglement and ghost fishing, with over 800 species
affected if dispersal by rafting and habitat effects are included1
.
The challenge
More than one million meetings2
take place at Radisson Hotel Group worldwide each year.
To respond to the call of UN Environment to ban plastic pollution at the 2018 World Environment Day3
, Radisson Hotel
Group set up the objective to ban single-use plastics in meetings and events organised in its premises by 2020, and
raise awareness among corporate guests and inspire similar initiatives around the world.
The strategy
Radisson Hotel Group plastics strategy covers the following items, i.e.: water bottles, wrappings of branded candy,
straws, other food & drink packaging and branded pens.
Solutions to tackle the phase-out of single use plastics involve various teams, including the Sourcing, Branding,
Operations and Responsible Business teams. While some alternatives to single-use plastic are sourced at corporate
level, most of them need to be procured locally. Brand standards were amended accordingly, and employees trained
to source alternative solutions.
In addition, The Sourcing team:
 Engaged with existing suppliers and challenged them to provide sustainable solutions and alternatives and
set incentives for successes achieved;
 Worked closely with suppliers to set a road map to replace single use plastics with alternatives at a global
level and negotiate collection and recycling of packaging as part of the supplier contracting in the Requests
for Proposal;
1 Source: United Nations Environment Programme (2018): Addressing marine plastics: a systemic approach. Available at http://
gefmarineplastics.org/publications/addressing-marine-plastics-a-systemic-approach-stocktaking-report
2 Estimate based on business volume of average hotel
3 More information is available at: https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
Supported by:
based on a decision of the German Bundestag
For further information
radissonhotelgroup.com/responsible-business
Contact person: Sven Wiltink,
Director Responsible Business EMEA
sven.wiltink@radissonhotels.com
“We, at Radisson Hotel Group, strive to minimize
the amount of plastic used in our operations
(…). We encourage our hotels to find innovative
solutions and contribute to the increasing global
awareness to ban single use plastics.’
- Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President
Responsible Business and Safety & Security
Lessons learned
Education of the teams is critical to allow the uptake
by staff of the Radisson Hotel Group environmental
agenda. In the EMEA region, approximately 70% of all staff
have been trained in 2017, in various topics of Responsible
Business. The training contains simple examples of how to
make habits more responsible and build a culture of
Responsible Business. An advanced level of training is given
to the management-level staff.
Cost of replacing plastic products with a plastic-free
solution needs to be clearly defined. Engaging with
suppliers to find suitable solutions which are in line with
cost expectations is significant. Conversations are ongoing
with global leading bottled water producers about the
cost-efficient availability of plastic free solutions in specific
geographical areas like India and China.
 Provided guidance to hotels to proceed with proposed alternatives, for example for the installation of inhouse water filtration systems;
 Identified new suppliers e.g. for the material for the branded candy wrappers, for in-house bottled water or for
pencils;
The Responsible Business team also engaged with guests to raise awareness on the activities around tackling
issues of plastic waste, with the #Refusethestraw campaign4
.
4 More information is available at: https://blog.radissonblu.com/refuse-the-straw/
Approximately 6,300 million tonnes of plastics are estimated
to have reached end-of-life since the start of mass production
in the 1950s. With only around 9% of global plastics waste
recycled and 12% incinerated, and the fact that plastic
is extremely durable, the majority of these plastics are
accumulating, either in landfills or in the environment.
Environmental impacts range from short-term impacts, such
as the entanglement of animals, to longer term impacts, such
as the bioaccumulation of toxic compounds in the food chain.
Over 500 species are known to be affected by ingestion,
entanglement and ghost fishing, with over 800 species
affected if dispersal by rafting and habitat effects are included1
.
The challenge
More than one million meetings2
take place at Radisson Hotel Group worldwide each year.
To respond to the call of UN Environment to ban plastic pollution at the 2018 World Environment Day3
, Radisson Hotel
Group set up the objective to ban single-use plastics in meetings and events organised in its premises by 2020, and
raise awareness among corporate guests and inspire similar initiatives around the world.
The strategy
Radisson Hotel Group plastics strategy covers the following items, i.e.: water bottles, wrappings of branded candy,
straws, other food & drink packaging and branded pens.
Solutions to tackle the phase-out of single use plastics involve various teams, including the Sourcing, Branding,
Operations and Responsible Business teams. While some alternatives to single-use plastic are sourced at corporate
level, most of them need to be procured locally. Brand standards were amended accordingly, and employees trained
to source alternative solutions.
In addition, The Sourcing team:
 Engaged with existing suppliers and challenged them to provide sustainable solutions and alternatives and
set incentives for successes achieved;
 Worked closely with suppliers to set a road map to replace single use plastics with alternatives at a global
level and negotiate collection and recycling of packaging as part of the supplier contracting in the Requests
for Proposal;
1 Source: United Nations Environment Programme (2018): Addressing marine plastics: a systemic approach. Available at http://
gefmarineplastics.org/publications/addressing-marine-plastics-a-systemic-approach-stocktaking-report
2 Estimate based on business volume of average hotel
3 More information is available at: https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
Supported by:
based on a decision of the German Bundestag
For further information
radissonhotelgroup.com/responsible-business
Contact person: Sven Wiltink,
Director Responsible Business EMEA
sven.wiltink@radissonhotels.com
“We, at Radisson Hotel Group, strive to minimize
the amount of plastic used in our operations
(…). We encourage our hotels to find innovative
solutions and contribute to the increasing global
awareness to ban single use plastics.’
- Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President
Responsible Business and Safety & Security
Lessons learned
Education of the teams is critical to allow the uptake
by staff of the Radisson Hotel Group environmental
agenda. In the EMEA region, approximately 70% of all staff
have been trained in 2017, in various topics of Responsible
Business. The training contains simple examples of how to
make habits more responsible and build a culture of
Responsible Business. An advanced level of training is given
to the management-level staff.
Cost of replacing plastic products with a plastic-free
solution needs to be clearly defined. Engaging with
suppliers to find suitable solutions which are in line with
cost expectations is significant. Conversations are ongoing
with global leading bottled water producers about the
cost-efficient availability of plastic free solutions in specific
geographical areas like India and China.
 Provided guidance to hotels to proceed with proposed alternatives, for example for the installation of inhouse water filtration systems;
 Identified new suppliers e.g. for the material for the branded candy wrappers, for in-house bottled water or for
pencils;
The Responsible Business team also engaged with guests to raise awareness on the activities around tackling
issues of plastic waste, with the #Refusethestraw campaign4
.
4 More information is available at: https://blog.radissonblu.com/refuse-the-straw/
Supporting document(s)
phasing_out_single-use_plastics_in_meetings_and_events_operations_1.pdf
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