NEW YORK—Ireland founded Easydry has achieved a global first as the first disposable towel company to receive B-Corp certification. Certification required testing Easydry on their social and environmental performance and the company’s ability to show full transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. Easydry’s global expansion and their U.S. operations in New York are supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish trade and innovation agency. CEO and founder Anne Butterly says: “I am so proud that Easydry has become a certified B Corp. I launched Easydry almost 20 years ago with sustainability...

DENHAM, U.K.—IHG Hotels & Resorts announces a global collaboration with consumer goods company Unilever to replace bathroom miniatures with bulk amenities* in over 4,000 hotels. In 2019, IHG became the first global hotel company to commit to all its hotel brands removing bathroom miniatures in favor of larger-size amenities, a key step in its pledge to eliminate single-use items throughout the guest stay by 2030. All IHG’s markets are now covered by bulk bathroom amenity contracts**. Unilever’s largest brand, Dove, will supply full-size hand wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion to IHG Essentials and Suites Collection hotels, including Holiday...

NATIONAL REPORT—U.S.-based RegenoPlast Materials LLC is distributing Storm Board, a replacement for plywood and wood fiber boards. Storm Board, comprised of 100 percent post-consumer and post-industrial mixed plastic waste, is currently made in the U.K. by Storm Board LLP. According to RegenoPlast Materials’ Chuck Mills, Storm Board was first introduced in Europe in 2011 and is comparable in size to plywood—a little larger than 4’ by 8’. Storm Board excels in wet environments, unlike wood-based products, and is impenetrable to rain and moisture. It will not rot, is resistant to microbial action, and is tough and versatile with a lower...

BANGKOK—Following the successful launch of Climate Warriors to mark Earth Day on April 22, this latest Grow With Six Senses children’s program has grown an extra set of wings at properties around the world. Climate Warriors is built on simple, tangible things children can do and enjoy doing, to combat climate change and play a positive role in their environments and communities. It was first trialed at Vooc Village at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam, as a two-day program with children learning simple eco-friendly habits and experiencing a host of fun activities before achieving their Climate Warrior status in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The White House announced that the Department of the Interior will reduce and eventually phase out the sale of single-use plastic products in U.S. national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. The news comes after more than 300 organizations and nearly 70,000 individuals called on the Department of the Interior to act. To mark World Oceans Day 2022, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland issued Secretary’s Order 3407, which initiates a plan “to reduce the procurement, sale, and distribution of single-use products and packaging.” The order is also designed to phase out all single-use plastic products across Department-managed lands by the year...

IRVINE, CALIF.—Sensor faucets may be smart, but they are not smart enough. So says Irvine, Calif.-based entrepreneur Joanna Boey. She is the VP Sales/Marketing for SmartFaucets, a company that focuses on improving the guest experience while reducing water consumption and related costs at the same time. You may have experienced malfunctioning sensor faucets—waving your hands with no response below the faucet. “Half the time the touchless faucet fails—the battery fails,” Boey says. The electronic eye can also get dirty, further increasing the chance of malfunction. The valve may also malfunction two or three times a year. Ultimately, the sensor faucet...

RALEIGH, N.C.—CaraGreen, a trusted source for healthier building materials, announced a new partnership with Arbor Wood Co., provider of thermally modified woods to the building industry. The partnership will introduce the thermally modified wood portfolio to architects and designers as a sustainable alternative to other standard wood products. Arbor Wood Co. uses high heat and a nitrogen rich environment to alter the cellular structure of wood and bring the moisture content to an optimal level. The result of this process is a product resistant to the elements with an increased durability and lifetime. Arbor Wood Co., based in Duluth, Minn.,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels need to be a place to go and enjoy your stay and feel like you are home. For it to feel like home, the hotel you go to needs to be clean at all times and going green should always be on the mind of the hotel owners. Due to the number of hotels, there is a slot for waste disposal in every hotel. Every hotel needs to take the initiative to go green, and the environment will always be clean. Hotels need to be more responsible with the amount of waste that they produce and implement...

Utilizing breakthroughs in design and technology, hotel owners and designers around the world are establishing new benchmarks for what it means to be a “dark” green hotel—one that has gone far beyond investing in easy low-hanging fruit. As published previously on Green Lodging News, Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton just opened within the last two weeks in Connecticut. It is believed to be the first net-zero hotel in the United States. It will utilize renewable solar power sources on site to generate the electricity needed for its common areas, restaurant, laundry, meeting rooms and 165 guestrooms and...

BAYONNE, N.J.—Eastern Tabletop announced its new exclusive U.S. partnership with EcoBurner. Eastern Tabletop began distribution of EcoBurner and EcoServe buffet lines on May 19. This partnership with EcoBurner comes from alignment in both companies’ missions. EcoBurner’s mission is “To improve the quality of buffet services around the world and reduce buffets’ impact on the environment”. Eastern Tabletop boasts that its products “make their mark in the tableware industry with innovation, fine quality, personal service and exceptional value.” This partnership will elevate the green initiatives at Eastern Tabletop and complement its ZOZZ Modular Flat Pack and Hub Buffet System. EcoBurner is in...