A Plastic Free Banyan Tree One Year Progress Report
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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