Meliá Hotels International to eliminate single-use plastics in all its hotels in 2018

Meliá Hotels International, managing company of the Palma Convention Center, has announced the decision to eliminate single-use plastics from its entire value chain in 2018. The Company has already drawn up a roadmap to replace bottles, cups, bags, coasters and straws with biodegradable or environmentally-friendly alternatives before the end of 2018, and also from in-room cosmetics as soon as possible.

The Executive Vice President and CEO of Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer, made the decision justified by the fact that "great customer experiences have to be compatible with respect for the planet, and plastic pollution is a global challenge which affects all destinations".

The Meliá CEO recalled that the prestigious "Carbon Disclosure Project" index has named Meliá one of the world's leading companies in the fight against climate change. Escarrer reminded the audience that "combatting climate change and reducing emissions has been part of our strategy for years, with well-established energy efficiency programmes in hotels and agreements with suppliers regarding the exclusive use of renewable energy, and was recently further ratified by the Company assuming the commitments defined at the Paris Climate Summit".

Escarrer highlighted the importance of the tourism industry mobilizing to combat climate change. According to the Global Risk Report, four of the five biggest risks for the industry over the next 10 years are related to climate change, including extreme weather events, natural disasters or water shortages. "The tourism business depends to a large extent on the sustainability of destinations," he said, "something of which we are very aware at Meliá as an international leader in resort hotels".