Marriott International today announced that it is following the Starbucks’ lead and is planning to remove all plastic straws and drink stirrers from all of its 6500 hotels and resorts across 30 brands around the world by 2019.
“We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we’re eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International.
Once fully implemented in one year, the company could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws per year and about a quarter billion stirrers. A single plastic straw – which might be used for about 15 minutes – will never fully decompose.
“Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us – something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes. We are committed to operating responsibly and – with over one million guests staying with us every night – we think this is a powerful step forward to reducing our reliance on plastics,” added Mr. Sorenson.
Marriott’s initiative is the latest change the hospitality company is making to enhance the sustainability of its operations and reduce plastic consumption. Earlier this year, Marriott began replacing small toiletry bottles in the guest bathrooms of about 450 select-service hotels with larger, in-shower dispensers that distribute more product for guests to use, reducing waste. The new toiletry dispensers are expected to be in place at more than 1,500 hotels in North America by the end of this year, which would enable Marriott to eliminate more than 35 million small plastic toiletry bottles annually that typically go to landfills.
These initiatives build on Marriott International’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact. Last year, the company set its most ambitious sustainability and social impact goals ever that call for reducing landfill waste by 45 percent and responsibly sourcing its top 10 product purchase categories by 2025. These goals and other sustainability programs help reduce our environmental footprint and are part of the company’s Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction initiative that addresses social, environmental, and economic issues.
