How to join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

How to become part of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

The Terms of Reference present an overview of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, including the background on the development of the initiative, its governance framework, key stakeholders and workstreams.

Currently, accommodation businesses and destinations can become signatories of the Initiative.

Interested tour operators, airlines, cruises, associations and NGOs are invited to the co-creation process of tailored commitments, which are currently in development. Contact us to find out more.

Choose your option for how to get involved:

Business Tourism businesses, inclusive of all subsectors - accommodation, airlines, cruises, tour operators, travel agencies, event organisers, online booking platforms, excursion providers, etc.	Destinations Local/national governments, destination management organisations and companies, and relevant infrastructure providers (e.g. waste management infrastructure, airports, ports)

hotel-accommodation.jpg

For businesses

1. Endorse the common vision

2. Make the following individual commitments:

   1. Accommodation providers*

      1. Take action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and/or items** by 2025;

      2. Take action to move from single-use to reuse models or reusable alternatives by 2025; 

      3. Engage the value chain to move towards 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025;

      4. Take action to increase the amount of recycled content*** across all plastic packaging and items used by 2025; 

   2. The commitments for other categories**** of businesses in the tourism sector will be developed and announced in the course of 2020.

3. Commit to collaborate and invest to increase the recycling and composting rates for plastics.

4. Report annually and publicly on progress towards meeting these commitments, as well as on estimates of annual volumes (tonnes) of plastics production/use (the latter will be used for aggregation purposes only, but individual public disclosure is encouraged). Reporting requirements will be kept as straightforward and streamlined as possible.

* In the broadest sense of the word, including hotels, hostels, guest houses, apartments and caravan parks

** Items can be all kinds of products or accessories used in the operations of accommodation providers. The focus should predominantly be on items that are single use and/or disposable

*** 3 Post-consumer recycled content (as defined in the common definitions)

**** Such as airlines, cruises, tour operators, travel agencies, online booking platforms, and event organisers

As a first step, interested businesses should familiarise themselves with the full Signatory Pack, which provides all the information required for organisations interested in formally joining the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative. The Signatory Pack includes the expected requirements, the templates for submission of the detailed commitments, and outlines the terms and conditions of the engagement between the signatory and the leading organisations.

Signatory Pack

Signatory Pack

An online registration form will be available here soon.

Sign-up for updates

island-destination.jpg

For governments and destinations

1. Endorse the common vision
2. Commit to have ambitious policies and measurable targets in place well ahead of 2025 in order to realise and report tangible progress by 2025, at country and/or destination level, in each of the following areas:
   1. Stimulating elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and/or products;
   2. Encouraging reuse models where relevant, to reduce the need for single-use plastic packaging and/or products;
   3. Incentivising the use of reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging;
   4. Increasing collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling rates, and facilitating the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and related funding mechanisms; 
   5. Stimulating the demand for recycled plastics
3. Support traveler behavior change on recycling and reuse, throughout their journey at a destination;
4. Collaborate with the private sector, NGOs, and other destinations towards achieving the vision and objectives of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative;
5. Publicly report on progress of the implementation of commitments annually;
6. Communicate successes to travelers, local stakeholders, and externally.

An online registration form will be available here soon.

Sign-up for updates