LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International announced an evolved vision for social impact and sustainability including setting goals to bolster diversity and inclusion, donate millions of meals and continue offering scholarship and educational opportunities for employees and their families. Through a commitment to be “Focused on What Matters: Embracing Humanity and Protecting the Planet,” MGM Resorts is committing to creating a more sustainable future, while striving to make a bigger difference in the lives of its employees, guests and in the communities where the company operates. “As a company with a global presence and more than 80,000 employees worldwide, MGM Resorts recognizes...

ATLANTA—Interface announced Mission Zero success ahead of its original 2020 target. Over the past 25 years, the company drove significant improvements across all key sustainability metrics internally and throughout its supply chain to help meet its objectives. And, Interface galvanized others along the way to implement more sustainable business practices. This created a positive ripple effect that helped the company not only achieve but also extend Mission Zero far beyond its original intentions. Interface’s direction and influence has helped countless others reduce their environmental footprint and work toward net zero impact within their own organizations. Based on 25 years of...

HOUSTON—Waste Management released its 2019 Sustainability Report providing updated data to supplement the company’s full 2018 report titled “Change for the Better.” The report highlights progress on the company’s 2038 sustainability goals, key performance indicators, recycling and recent awards. “Waste Management prepared its first ‘Environmental Report’ in 1992, well before we used the term ‘sustainability,’ and before we regularly reported on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles,” said Jim Fish, President and CEO of Waste Management. “Little did we know where this journey would take us. As champions for sustainability, we remain focused on our commitment to our planet and...

SAUDI, ARABIA—Amaala, one of the largest ultra-luxury sustainable resort projects ever conceived—one that will create 22,400 jobs and attract 310,000 visitors annually—is in the design stages for Saudi Arabia’s northeastern coast along the Red Sea. (See video.) Amaala, which is derived from the Arabic word for “hope,” will be set in a pristine natural reserve and includes three sites: Triple Bay, The Island, and The Coastal Development. Unique to the project is its environmental story. It will be built to have a zero-carbon footprint. Reaching zero-carbon status will be a challenge, as the project will also include an airport, 200 retail...

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Eliminating plastic waste is a major component of Iberostar’s Wave of Change commitment, which protects and nurtures ocean ecosystems for the benefit of the communities that depend on them and contributes to a circular economy that reuses and recycles more materials—all while creating indelible experiences for hotel guests. According to Iberostar’s own survey, 85 percent of guests said they valued the changes Iberostar has made to remove plastics, and 68 percent said they consider sustainability when choosing a hotel. This year alone, Iberostar has eliminated 400 tons of plastics waste in its hotels worldwide. By the end of...

It was 12 and one-half years ago that Green Lodging News first reported on a supplier-driven textile recycling program. It was then that Valley Forge Fabrics introduced its FRESH: Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality program. FRESH fabrics are made with synthetic yarns derived from post-industrial and post-consumer recycled products. Because of their unique construction, FRESH fabrics are recyclable. As part of the FRESH launch, Valley Forge promised the pickup and delivery of FRESH fabrics to a recycling facility at the end of their life cycle. Fortunately, textile recycling did not stop with Valley Forge Fabrics and over the years...

HONG KONG—Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic, across its entire portfolio of luxury hotels, by the end of March 2021. While the travel industry has already made great strides towards the removal of plastic straws and single-use drinking bottles, the Group is keen to play its part in the luxury hotel segment and commit to a wider and more challenging aim to abolish all single-use plastic currently in use across all operational departments, including rooms, spa, transport, restaurants and bars. The aim is to cover plastics used in all areas of the hotel, and not...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A Greenpeace USA report just released, Throwing Away the Future: How Companies Still Have It Wrong on Plastic Pollution “Solutions,” warns consumers to be skeptical of the so-called solutions announced by multinational corporations to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. These false solutions, such as switching to paper or “bioplastics,” or embracing chemical recycling, are failing to move us away from single-use packaging and divert attention away from beneficial systems that prioritize refill and reuse. “Despite the increasing scientific understanding of the irreversible damage plastic can cause to our environment and communities, plastic production is projected to dramatically increase in the...

MINNETONKA, MINN.—Flo S.p.A., a major European food packaging producer increasingly engaged in research of sustainable high-quality products, introduced three new capsule formats in the GEA family that are industrially compostable, fully biobased, and able to provide a brewing experience that is expected of the most popular capsules on the market. Building on the success and adoption of the GEA compostable version for the A Modo Mio system, Flo again partnered with NatureWorks—a leading company in the production of functional biomaterials—to develop new GEA capsules suitable for Nespresso, Lavazza Blue, and Keurig systems. The GEA capsules are all made with Ingeo, a...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) has launched the Sleep Products Sustainability Program (SP2), a new environmental certification and sustainability initiative for mattress manufacturers in the state of California. SP2 training and certification is offered at no cost to mattress manufacturers that want to improve operations at their manufacturing plants, distribution centers, warehouses and/or offices. “SP2 is designed to reduce waste and energy consumption in the manufacturing process while increasing operational efficiencies and generating cost savings,” says Ryan Trainer, President of the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) and the International Sleep Products Assn. (ISPA). “Developed as part of the bedding industry’s...