Taking forward its commitment towards ‘Responsible Luxury’, ITC Hotels has mitigated usage of single use plastic from its operations, reinforcing ITC Hotels leadership yet again in pioneering sustainable initiatives. Complimentary bottled water from guest rooms, restaurants, and banqueting spaces have already been replaced with glass bottles as part of the sustainability initiative ‘SunyaAqua’ (Zero-mile water). This is aimed at not only reducing the use of plastic bottles but also minimizing carbon footprint by installing bottling plants across all its hotels. In fact, ITC Hotels were the first to initiate this endeavour in 2012.
Furthermore, as a practice, all toiletries at ITC Hotels now come in biodegradable and environment-friendly packaging. All laundered clothes are handed over to the guests in biodegradable wrapping material. With a view to maximise impact and strengthen awareness around Reduce, Reuse, Recycle among the guests, the company has created smart messaging on sustainable initiatives that accompany the laundry items. The Initiatives are in line with the ITC luxury hotels commitment to mitigate “single use plastic” usage. The single use plastic generated at the ITC Luxury Hotels were quantified - which was about 2.5 lakh kg/year. The key contributors are 150 lakh water bottles, 15 lakh straws, 8 lakh stirrers, 8 lakh toothbrushes and others.
ITC Hotels has identified and implemented product alternatives for these items and successfully replaced plastic bottles with SunyaAqua bottled water, plastic stirrers with wooden stirrer, regular toothbrush with bamboo toothbrush; regular comb with bamboo comb and more.
Mr. Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Ltd stated, “With a legacy of over two decades in implementing sustainable practices and ‘Responsible Luxury’ as the guiding premise, ITC Hotels has emerged as a pioneering force in the space of environmental sustainability. The endeavour to eliminate the use of single use plastic is aligned with ITC Hotels initiatives of reduction in energy consumption and waste management. We will continue to set ambitious goals for ourselves and be at the forefront in supporting the government in eliminating use of single use plastic to the best of our ability.
The ITC’s vision for planet positive is driven by the belief that “businesses cannot succeed in societies that have failed.”