According to a press release from Green Century, Choice Hotels International, one of the world’s leading lodging franchisors, has agreed to take the first step in addressing plastic pollution by conducting a program to measure single-use plastic and develop strategies for single-use plastic reduction after engagement by Green Century.
For those of you not familiar with Green Century, it provides “mutual funds for individuals and institutions to keep their money out of the most irresponsible industries while using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria in investment analysis and portfolio construction.”
Choice Hotels, which has a diverse portfolio of 22 brands including Comfort Inn, Cambria Hotels, and Econo Lodge, will conduct a plastics reduction inventory program in 2024 and use it to set a new goal to reduce single-use plastic next year.
“As investors learn that plastic used for a minute can pollute our environment for hundreds of years, it has become a risk that companies need to manage,” said Leslie Samuelrich, President of the Green Century Funds. “We welcome Choice Hotel’s move to set a new plastic reduction goal.”
Choice Hotel’s commitment comes as consumers, investors, and regulators increasingly focus on the negative impacts of single-use plastic on the planet. According to a recent survey, 80 percent of U.S. respondents from across the political spectrum support requiring companies to reduce single-use plastic.
“Delighting guests and reducing single-use plastics are clearly compatible,” said Douglass Guernsey, shareholder advocate at Green Century. “Customers want hospitality that doesn’t compromise the beauty of the places they might have traveled thousands of miles to visit.”
Recycling, long touted as the solution to the plastic waste crisis, has resulted in only 9 percent of plastic being recycled. Scientists and experts agree that the best way to reduce plastic pollution is to cut the amount of plastic companies are producing, and to replace non-essential single-use plastic with tested alternatives like reuseable containers.
“Choice is taking the first steps in addressing plastic pollution by better understanding how and how much plastic is used for its hotels,” added Guernsey. “The next step is to implement reductions, which will return long term value to consumers, the business, and investors.”
