BANGKOK—Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas announced that it has become one of the first signatories of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the UN Environment Programme and UN World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Environmental and social responsibility is at the heart of Six Senses. In a shared world of limited natural resources and fragile ecosystems, sustainability is not a choice, it is the only choice. It demands doing what is right rather than what is easy. At Six Senses, this means going beyond banning single-use plastic and unnecessary waste and to be free of...

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY—Deutsche Hospitality’s young Danish economy brand Zleep Hotels is to launch in Switzerland. Construction work on the new build Zleep Hotel Zurich Kloten is scheduled for completion in 2023. The hotel will be located in a new quarter near to Zurich Airport, which will also be home to a restaurant, retail outlets and privately owned apartments. There will be 90 rooms, a generously proportioned lobby complete with a breakfast area and a bar. The Zleep Hotel Zurich Kloten will also introduce the “Hygge Standard” to the Swiss hotel sector for the first time. Transport links will...

MIDLAND, MICH.—If stacked, mattresses discarded in Europe every year would exceed the height of Mount Everest—by 678 times. Approximately 30 million mattresses are thrown away, and most of this bulky, non-biodegradable waste-stream ends up in the landfill. Through its RENUVA Mattress Recycling Program, Dow aims to reduce this mountain of waste by giving polyurethane (PU) foam from end-of-life mattresses a new life. The program will take discarded mattress foam and turn it back into raw material (polyols) through chemical recycling, the process of converting waste into feedstock. The new raw material will then be used in flexible or rigid foam products...

MADRID—A new set of recommendations published outline how the global tourism sector can continue in its fight against plastic pollution while effectively facing the public health and hygiene challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard, putting more than 100 million jobs at risk. Now, as countries begin to recover and tourism restarts in a growing number of destinations, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, has provided a plan of action for both public...

TRENTON, N.J.—Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has proven indispensable in the wake of COVID-19 but this surge has led to littered PPE flooding streets and marine habitats. To address this unintended public health crisis of potentially hazardous litter, TerraCycle Regulated Waste has launched an easy-to-use recycling solution for single-use gloves and masks through their line of EasyPak Containers. Designed as a recycling system for businesses in need of a turn-key solution for hazardous waste disposal, the PPE EasyPack Containers allow property managers to easily recycle used gloves and masks on-site, thereby allowing staff to responsibly dispose of their protective gear instead...

LAS VEGAS—PLI Card Marketing Solutions, a global provider of key cards and hospitality marketing programs, introduced Re.Solve TF—a plastic-free solution for RFID guestroom key cards made from FSC-certified paper layers. Re.Solve TF is intended to address market demand for durable, high-quality RFID key cards that are made from sustainable materials and do not contribute to the global supply of plastic waste. Re.Solve TF key cards from PLI contain genuine NXP MIFARE technology and are compatible with most hotel lock systems. “Our customers have been asking for a high-quality plastic-free RFID key card solution,” shared Thomas Garland, President & CEO at PLI...

Name: Jeffery Smith Title: Vice President Sustainability Company: Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas Years in Current Position: Two Years, Six Months Primary Responsibilities: Managing operational impacts across 18 hotels and 32 spas, while supporting sustainable development for a pipeline of projects that grows the brand to touch on six continents. Organization’s most significant accomplishment in global corporate responsibility: “We eliminated plastic amenity bottles in 2003, plastic straws in 2016, and have been using coral safe sunscreen since 2019. Also, in every hotel there is a provision for funding to be spent outside the hotel operation. It allows each hotel to decide what is locally...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, announced the release of Safety First pilot credits for its SITES and TRUE rating systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new credits enable projects committed to sustainable landscape development and those pursuing zero waste goals to maintain those commitments while adapting practices and procedures in light of the current public health crisis. GBCI administers project certifications for some of the world’s leading green business programs, including LEED, SITES, TRUE, RELi and others. It is committed to supporting projects pursuing certification in adapting...

CINCINNATI—Plaine Products, a Cincinnati-based company dedicated to protecting the environment by eliminating single-use packaging, is building up their hair care portfolio with a 3.5 gallon bulk refill option for their best-selling Rosemary Mint Vanilla shampoo and conditioner. Businesses like salons and spas, hotels, and other wholesale partners can now more economically reduce their environmental impact by offering all-natural hair products as part of their service or product sales offering with significantly less packaging waste. Plaine Products is building upon their commitment to eco-friendly hair care products and a reduction in single use packaging by scaling products for commercial use. The...

LAS VEGAS—The Venetian Resort expands Sands ECO360 recycling efforts as the first Las Vegas-based property, and one of the first in the nation, to develop an innovative program to recycle surgical face masks, which are being used by guests and Team Members as part of the resort’s Venetian Clean initiatives. As part of this pilot project, in partnership with TerraCycle, the discarded masks are collected on-site at The Venetian Resort and sent to a recycling facility where they are separated, shredded and densified into a crumb-like raw material. This material will be used to make repurposed products such as composite lumber for...