Marriott pulling tiny shampoo bottles from hotels to reduce plastic waste
Marriott International said it will pull all “tiny, single-use” bottles of shampoo and other toiletries from the rooms of its 7,000 hotels by the end of 2020.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based hospitality company said it had already switched more than 20 percent of its properties to include larger pump-topped bottles in showers as part of an initiative that began last year to reduce waste. By expanding the toiletry program to all its properties, the company said it will prevent about 500 million tiny bottles — 1.7 million pounds of plastic — from going to landfills.
Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said reducing the company’s environmental impact is “a huge priority for us.”
“Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels,” Sorenson said.
The larger bottles contain as much shampoo as 10 to 12 of the single-use bottles, according to Marriott. They’re also recyclable.
Ten of Marriott’s 30 brands have switched to larger pump bottles or are in the process of switching. All of its other brands will make the switch by December 2020, the company said.
To reduce single-use plastic, Marriott International hotels across the globe are continuing to move to larger bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash in guestroom showers. (Credit: Marriott International)
Marriott isn’t alone in switching to multi-use toiletry bottles. IHG, which owns hotel brands Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, announced similar plans last month. It aims to finish transitioning to bulk-size room amenities at its 5,600 hotels sometime in 2021.
Disney also announced plans last year to switch to refillable amenities in its hotels and cruise ships as part of an effort to reduce plastic waste. For 10 years, Hyatt has been donating used soap and shampoo from its hotels to Clean the World, a nonprofit that recycles those goods and donates them to communities hit by disasters.