Sustainable Energy

InterContinental to remove plastic straws from hotels globally

Key Points
  • IHG's decision will get rid of an average of 50 million single use plastic straws from hotels each year.
  • Biodegradable alternatives to plastic straws will be made available. 
Close-Up Of Colorful Drinking Straws
Priscila Zambotto | Moment | Getty Images

Major hotel business InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to remove plastic straws from its global estate by the end of 2019.

In a statement Thursday, the firm said it had already got rid of plastic straws at almost 1,000 hotels in the Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa region. IHG's brands include Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and InterContinental Hotels and Resorts.

The commitment to remove plastic straws from its global estate will get rid of an average of 50 million single use plastic straws from over 5,400 IHG branded hotels annually. Biodegradable alternatives to plastic straws will be made available, IHG said.

IHG's CEO, Keith Barr, in an official statement, said that with a presence in almost 100 countries globally, the business had a "responsibility to protect the environment and an opportunity to make a real difference."

Barr added that the work the business was doing to cut down on single-use plastic was a "powerful example of how we can come together with guests, owners and colleagues to drive positive change."

IHG is the latest major business to attempt to reduce its use of plastic. In January, for example, bottled water brand Evian said it would produce all its plastic bottles from 100 percent recycled plastic by the year 2025.

The same month, U.K. supermarket Iceland, which specializes in frozen food, made a commitment to eliminate plastic packaging from its own label products by 2023.