GRAN CANARI ISLAND—Travel Without Plastic, the organisation helping cut single-use plastics in tourism, teamed up with health and safety experts Intertek Cristal to launch a free online training module to show tourism businesses how they can reduce plastic and keep their guests COVID-safe.
The “Greener Guest” (greenerguest.com) initiative was born out of the explosion of single-use plastics caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, evident in the discarded masks and plastic gloves appearing on pavements and beaches worldwide. As the Founder of Travel Without Plastic, Jo Hendrickx says, these items are both a danger to wildlife and human health, and often completely unnecessary: “Too often single-use plastic is seen as somehow more hygienic than washable, reusable alternatives. In fact, it can be riskier from a health and safety point of view, as the false reassurance given by wearing, for example, plastic gloves, can actually reduce hand washing, which is far more effective.”
Developed in partnership with Intertek Cristal, a global leader in health and safety standards, and with the ongoing support of Booking.com, the 45-minute module is available at www.greenerguest.com/learning-zone and is particularly relevant for accommodation staff in operational and guest service roles. It has been designed with the current financial challenges facing the tourism sector very much in mind. Hendrickx continues: “We know how painful the last months have been for the hospitality and travel industries, which have seen revenue from bookings almost completely dry up. We wanted to ensure that hoteliers understand that staying sustainable and keeping their guests safe can be done in a very cost-conscious way with a few simple-to-introduce process changes, rather than major investment in new products.”
