Open Wing Alliance Applauds Several Hotel Groups for Commitment to Cage-Free Eggs

NEW YORK—The Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a global coalition working to end the abuse of chickens worldwide, announces that Hilton, Louvre Hotels Group, and Meliá Hotels International have all made impressive strides in their transparency in reporting progress on their commitments to source 100 percent cage-free eggs in their entire portfolios globally. This vital reporting comes just 17 days after the launch of a global campaign led by the OWA, urging hospitality companies to provide details on their cage-free egg implementation plans. Once implemented, the combined commitments will reduce the suffering of nearly 861,000 hens in supply chains annually.

Details of the transparent progress include:

• Hilton has committed to disclosing the percentage of cage-free eggs across its entire portfolio, broken down by sub-region, along with a detailed plan (a “glide path”) to achieve 100 percent cage-free eggs in its managed hotels in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Europe.
• Louvre Hotels Group has shared its current global cage-free egg percentage and has pledged to provide regional reports for its entire portfolio by July 2024. The group has confirmed this reporting will encompass all forms of eggs, including liquid and egg products.
• Melia has agreed to global reporting across its entire portfolio and will additionally provide information at both regional and country levels.

“Hilton, Louvre, and Meliá’s commitments to ensuring a more ethical supply chain is an important step toward ending the cruel confinement of egg-laying hens and driving a more humane food system,” says Caitlin Campbell, Global Campaigns Coordinator, the Open Wing Alliance. “We are calling on Banyan Tree Group to follow the lead of Hilton, Louvre, and Meliá and its subsidiaries and report on its cage-free progress by region. Failure to do so will put Banyan Tree Group in jeopardy of losing consumer and investor trust.”

As investors join consumers in prioritizing the ESG principles of ethical supply chains, companies across the globe and their suppliers are rising to the challenge. More than 2,500 companies have made cage-free egg commitments, 146 of which impact a company’s global supply chain. Many global hospitality industry leaders have completed implementation and are sourcing 100 percent cage-free eggs in their supply chains, including JetBlue, Dorchester Collection, Motel One, and Starhotels.

This progress follows the release of a new animal welfare report: Fair and Fowl: Global Travel Edition, which examines ethical gaps within the travel industry. Caged systems promote stress, reproductive disease, and poor bone health in egg-laying hens. For more information about The Open Wing Alliance, visit OpenWingAlliance.org.