A Plastic Free Banyan Tree One Year Progress Report


Maldives
PUBLISHED April 18, 2019

One year ago, on Earth Day 2018, Banyan Tree embarked on a journey to reduce single use plastic to ultimately become plastic free. The hospitality and tourism industry as a whole is a major consumer of this planets resources, often providing one-time use products on mass scales. Whilst this presents a unique opportunity to really impact the effects of global plastic consumption, it is by no means a small task.
 
The challenge involves finding suitable alternatives that are both sustainable and cost-effective, but equally match up to the rigorous health and quality assurances required from the industry. Preventing plastic waste from reaching landfills or polluting the environment is another primary focus. Arguably, the greatest challenge is pioneering this movement, which although growing is still in its infancy. This requires driving action across suppliers and vendors in addition to raising awareness of the need among business stakeholders, which include its own employees, guests and members of the community.
 
This ambitious target has inspired the change needed to successfully eliminate 4.2 million single-use items over the past year, equating to a 26% reduction in use. This is a positive first-step in the right direction, considering the magnitude of the ultimate plastic-free goal.
 
Banyan Trees properties here in the Maldives have achieved the most significant reductions across the Group, with both Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru in North Male Atoll reducing their total single-use plastic usage by 75%. Angsana Velavaru in Dhaalu Atoll, follows with a 32% reduction. Collectively, the three properties have eliminated a quarter of a million single-use plastic items, preventing them from reaching landfill or ending up in the ocean.
 
In the first year, three of the most common single-use plastic items produced and consumed across the world were targeted for primary elimination: plastic bottles, plastic straws and plastic bags. These are fundamental sources of global plastic pollution. Worldwide, five trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 10 million each minute, requiring 600 million barrels of oil to manufacture. Less than 1% of this amount is recycled, with the rest ending in landfills or polluting our environments. Up to 80% of ocean plastic pollution originates from land.
 
Given the vast expanses of blue ocean and white sand beaches and lagoons that dominate the seascape of the Maldives, it is easy to overlook the current threat that plastic pollution poses to the health of its island inhabitants and the future of the kaleidoscope of marine life found below the waves. One only needs to walk beside the ferry terminals in Malé or join a community cleanup on a locally inhabited islands to experience the difficulty the country is currently facing, with regards to effective waste management. The international non-profit Parley for the Oceans are currently working on the first nationwide plastic recycling program for the Maldives, but generally speaking recycling initiatives are limited, mostly organized on small scales by local schools or councils with limited resources.
 
Awareness and understanding of plastic consumption and waste is constantly improving, with growing support of the need to eliminate single-use plastic and switch to sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Banyan Tree continues to educate its associates, guests and communities around the areas it operates, about the need to consider the 5 Rs of responsible consumption reduce, refuse, reuse, recycle and remove. This is achieved by driving events such as Community Awareness and Cleanups, Guest Talks on property and supporting international events such as Earth Day, World Cleanup Day and World Environment Day.
 
This year, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru & Angsana Ihuru will celebrate the Earth Day with a Local Island Clean up in the morning of the 22nd of April and a sunset cocktail party for the guests and associates to toast for the 1st year of the Plastic Elimination Pledge.
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