Mandarin Oriental pledges to eliminate single-use plastic by 2021

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has promised to eliminate single-use plastic across its entire portfolio by March 2021.

The company said it was keen to “play its part in the luxury hotel segment” by removing all single-use plastic currently in use across all operational departments including rooms, spa, transport, restaurants and bars.

An “elimination campaign” has reportedly been underway for some time at all properties, with the hotel group completing a stock inventory and identifying 23 of the most common single-use plastic items currently in use across the portfolio.

To date, 86% of these initial items have been eliminated or are being phased out in all hotels.

“Plastic waste is one of the gravest environmental concerns affecting our planet today. While our relatively small footprint limits our contribution to the world’s plastic reduction, as one of the most iconic luxury global hotel groups we are in a strong position to drive important changes in the industry,” said group chief executive James Riley.

“We recognise that to achieve complete elimination while maintaining our luxury service standards is a challenge, but to drive change we must set ambitious goals. The elimination of single-use plastic is only one part of the Group’s wider initiative to operate in a responsible and sustainable way across our portfolio.”