Scandic Hotels, the absolute leader on the Nordic hotel market, has announced the ban on the use of plastic straws and cocktail sticks in all hotels owned and managed by the group. This is done in order to reduce the harmful impact of these plastic products on the environment of the region. The company has its own sustainability program, and attempts to remove all single-use disposable plastic items from Scandic hotels are just one more step in bringing that program to life.
While a single plastic straw might not look like a problem, cumulative numbers only prove the existence of the problem. Only Scandic hotels dispose approximately of 1.3 million plastic straws and 120 000 cocktail sticks every year. The hotelier also plans to remove plastic lids of take away coffee mugs with more eco-friendly biodegradable options.
It is not a secret for anyone that plastic is one of the biggest pollutants of the environment and, therefore, one of the biggest current challenges of the humanity. According to the latest data provided by several organizations, the world’s ocean contains more than 150 million tons of plastic and that number is growing. Not only plastic pollutes the environment but also threatens the lives of fauna. More than one million birds and 100 000 sea mammals die every year because of eating plastic or getting trapped in the waste. Some forecasts say that we are yet at an early stage of the global catastrophe. The new report by the UK Government Office for Science suggests that the amount of plastic in the world’s ocean will keep growing rapidly and will, actually, triple in the period from 2015 to 2025.
Scandic emphasizes the need to rethink the global approach to plastic use. While the removal of plastic straws looks like a small step, it is very important for the health of our planet. Scandic has always been among pioneers of environment-friendly initiatives. The company has programs on reducing food waste and ecological imprint on the region. As plastic straws are very hard to recycle, it is about time to stop using them.
The decision has already been put into action. Soon all Scandic hotels will not use plastic straws, plastic lids for coffee mugs, and plastic cocktail sticks. Most drinks will be served without these. It is also reported that hotels will have eco-friendly substitutes available, but at the moment they will be available only to guests who really need them, such as visitors with special needs and so on.