BETHESDA, MD.—With a full slate of 2025 environmental impact goals, keeping track of progress is a mammoth job for Marriott International given its approximately 8,000 properties. Leading the collection of that data with a team of experts to help her is Marriott’s Sarah Boll, Senior Director, Energy & Sustainability, U.S./Canada. “We are the ones to gather data. We collect data on carbon intensity, water intensity, and waste,” Boll says. “Managing that data is a global responsibility. We do our best to clean it up and use it for target setting.” As leader of the data acquisition team, Boll overseas data acquisition...

CHICAGO—The AZEK Company Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of low-maintenance and environmentally sustainable outdoor living products, including TimberTech decking, Versatex and AZEK Trim, and StruXure pergolas, announces a new suite of offerings from its TimberTech and StruXure brands. These products, which include a debut furniture collection, new decking colors, new railing offerings and a new cabana model, will be available in 2023 and premiered at the 2022 TimberTech Championship, a PGA TOUR Champions event. “At AZEK, we continue to innovate throughout our portfolio of brands and are committed to revolutionizing the outdoor living industry by providing homeowners with sustainable, high performance and low-maintenance products,”...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Valley Forge Fabrics, the largest supplier of custom textile products for the hospitality industry, announced its new SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC collection as part of the company’s continued commitment to sustainability. The eco-friendly textiles weave sustainability, performance features, and comfort into one remarkable collection. The nine marine-inspired patterns come in an array of vibrant colors and textures. A promotional design “Live Ocean” print was created by Australian artist Lezio Lopes, known most recently for his work on HBO’s “White Lotus.” This large collection of unique upholstery textures includes almost 100 items and are woven with SEAQUAL YARN made from reclaimed plastics from...

MAUMEE, OHIO—Fiberon, a leader in wood-alternative cladding, announces the addition of Bamboo to the lineup of color offerings for Wildwood composite cladding. Bamboo will be added to the Sahara Collection alongside Mulga, Sumac and Palo—all inspired by arid, sandy landscapes and rich desert tones. Bamboo is a light blonde oak color that adds a subtle, sandy hue to the Wildwood cladding color palette and features distinctive gradients that mimic the dynamic shading of natural bamboo. “Lighter cladding colors are trending in the industry, so when our customers began requesting a lighter Wildwood option it seemed like a no-brainer to add...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—QuickDrain, part of L.R. Brands, an Oatey innovation, announced that it has expanded its use of sustainable Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), incorporating the material into its innovative WallDrain linear drain system. All QuickDrain shower systems now include the sustainable material, which is composed of 100 percent-recycled plastic bottles and is fully recyclable. WallDrain, a unique linear drain system that is built into the wall instead of the floor surface, will continue to deliver the same excellent engineering and performance users have come to expect, while incorporating the many benefits of PET into the construction of its vertical installation panel and furring strips....

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Hotel Kitchen program, a partnership between World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), marks five years of fighting food waste this year. The program works with the hospitality industry using innovative strategies to engage staff, partners, and guests in cutting waste from hotel kitchens. By preventing food waste from occurring at their properties, donating excess food that is still safe for people to eat and diverting the rest away from landfills, hotels participating in the Hotel Kitchen program saw reductions of up to 38 percent of food waste in just 12 weeks. Food waste occurs while...

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLA.—The Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina announced that they have achieved the coveted “4 Palm” designation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Green Lodging Program, the highest level of recognition. The Florida Green Lodging Program designates and recognizes lodging facilities that voluntarily commit to conserving and protecting Florida’s natural resources. The program’s environmental guidelines allow the hospitality industry to continuously evaluate its operations, set goals, and take specific actions to improve environmental performance. To become designated, facilities must conduct a thorough property assessment and implement a specified number of environmental practices in five areas of...

MILAN, ITALY—Stop wasting time, food, and money. Shelfy properly preserves fresh fruit and vegetables by extending their shelf life. Made from recycled plastics, Shelfy features Vitesy’s nanomolecular photocatalytic technology to reduce bacteria associated with food spoilage and degrade molecules that quickly ripen fresh fruits and vegetables. More than 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. every year. Food spoilage is the result of improper storage, lack of visibility in refrigerators, partially used ingredients and misjudged food needs. It’s costly, too. To the tune of $218 billion annually for Americans, or an average of $2,000 in wasted food,...

TRENTON, N.J.—Taco Bell is expanding its recycling program with international recycling leader TerraCycle to now collect all brands and types of sauce packets. This means that all condiment or sauce packets, whether Taco Bell or otherwise, can be collected, mailed back with a prepaid shipping label, and given a spicier second life. As an added incentive, for every shipment of waste sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn TerraCycle points that can be donated to a nonprofit, school, or charitable organization of their choice. “Earlier this spring, we tested the idea with consumers to responsibly recycle any brand of...

HELSINKE, FINLAND—Scandic Helsinki Hub recently opened its doors in the Finnish capital. Located in downtown Helsinki, the hotel is housed in a 1920s printing house that has been transformed into a large 352-room hotel. Along with unique loft-style rooms, the hotel features inspiring event, meeting and coworking spaces along with a trattoria and bars. Scandic Helsinki Hub is strategically located at the crossroads of downtown Helsinki and the charming Helsinki south district. Vestiges of the former printing house have been elegantly preserved in the design throughout the building, and guests can choose accommodations that offer a variety of special features...