Global Tourism Plastics Initiative
Progress Report 2021
Pilot reporting for large accommodation and supplier business signatories
In 2021, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) set in motion its first pilot reporting for large companies (accommodation and supplier) that joined the Initiative in 2020 and for which annual reporting is mandatory as part of their commitments to the GTPI. Six accommodation providers (Accor, Club Med, Hong-Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Iberostar, Melco, Six Senses) and one supplier (deSter, member of gategroup) participated in the reporting exercise.
A broader reporting mechanism which would allow additional stakeholders that are signatories to the GTPI to report progress on the implementation of their commitments is in the process of being enabled.
Key insights from accommodation providers reporting (Accor, Club Med, Hong-Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Iberostar, Melco, Six Senses):
- Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis which almost brought international tourism to a complete standstill in 2020, accommodation businesses have continued pursuing efforts to advance towards a circular economy of plastics.
- Over 108 million plastic items and packaging have been eliminated in 2020 across the reporting businesses.
- Plastic items and packaging eliminated in 2020 represent a weight of 804 metric tonnes, which is equivalent to 27 large shipping containers.
- Promising progress has been made, especially in the elimination of unnecessary and/or problematic plastic items and packaging in food and beverage services, where about 34 million plastic items and packaging (>352 metric tonnes) were eliminated; and in bathrooms, with about 74 million of eliminated plastic items and packaging (>451 metric tonnes). Positive efforts are also ongoing to eliminate plastic items and packaging in service areas and rooms.
- The elimination of problematic and unnecessary plastic items and packaging in kitchens and cleaning services needs to be further addressed.
- Hotel chains are implementing measures to replace plastic items and packaging with reuse models. Their efforts have been targeting food and beverage services followed by bathrooms, service areas, and kitchens. One hotel chain also reported replacing plastic items and packaging in cleaning services.
- Hotel chains have engaged suppliers to work both on increasing the amount of recycled content across all plastic packaging and items and moving towards 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. In addition, one company reported being engaged in discussions with regulators on these topics.
- Hotel chains reported having invested in capacity building as well as in technologies and equipment to help increase recycling and composting rates.
- Various hotel chains reported as major new challenge that COVID-19 led to an increase in the consumption of plastic to comply with sanitary guidelines and health and safety protocols.
Key insights from suppliers reporting (deSter):
- deSter has identified 7 single-use types of plastic used in the food and beverage services to be gradually eliminate by 2025 and have ceased the launch of new products with non-recyclable materials in 2020.
- The company has created a dedicated Sustainable Development team, as well as a closed loop recycling team. In line with this, deSter has worked on fiber based technologies, on closed loop recycling pilots and implemented closed loop programs of products with customers.
- New reusable designs were developed, and their production was piloted.
- deSter invested in and tested novel renewable materials for recycling, as well as recycled material which can withstand oven temperatures.
Progress report 2021: Overview of reporting results from large accommodation business signatories
Progress report 2021: Individual reporting results from Accor, Club Med, Hong-Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Iberostar, Melco, Six Senses
Individual reporting results for Suppier: deSter
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For more information please contact:
Svitlana Mikhalyeva, svitlana.mikhalyeva@un.org and Virginia F. Trapa, vftrapa@unwto.org
