Hilton Fulfils 2018 Pledge to Eliminate Plastic Straws from all UAE Hotels

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced that it has fulfilled its commitment to eliminate the use of plastic straws from its UAE hotels. Plastic bottles used in meetings and events spaces have also been removed. As a result of adopting these new standards, approximately 3.5 million plastic straws and more than 2 million plastic water bottles will be removed each year from Hilton’s 25 hotels in the country.

In addition to carrying out these measures, Hilton properties in the UAE have continued to take additional steps to reduce consumption of single-use plastics. Move than 2.4 million plastic food and beverage products and 5 million plastic bags have been replaced with biodegradable alternatives.

William Costley, VP of Operations for the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey at Hilton said, “Last May, we made a promise to eliminate plastic straws as well as plastic bottled water from meetings and events, from all of our UAE hotels, and we are proud to have accomplished this goal. We will continue to work with suppliers to ensure that wherever possible, single-use plastic items are replaced with biodegradable and/or paper alternatives. These efforts support our global Travel with Purpose goal to cut our environmental footprint in half by 2030, to be better stewards of our natural resources and have a lighter environmental impact in our local communities.”

According to numbers revealed by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) in June 2018, the UAE consumes 13 billion bags of plastic and approximately 450 billion plastic bottles a year, with 8 million tonnes of plastic making its way into the oceans every year.

“These figures highlight why it is incumbent on all organizations to make sustainability a strategic priority,” added Costley. 

Beyond the UAE, Hilton is taking steps to completely remove plastic water bottles from meetings and events in managed hotels across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It has also committed to removing plastic straws, stir sticks and cocktail picks from all 5,600+ hotels globally this year.

Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally. By 2030, we plan to double our social impact investment and cut our environmental footprint by half. We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s more than 5,600 hotels through LightStay, our award-winning performance measurement system. Travel with Purpose capitalizes on Hilton’s global scale to catalyze local economic growth; promote human rights; invest in people and local communities; and preserve our planet by reducing our impact on natural resources. Our strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Visit cr.hilton.com to learn more.

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 17 world-class brands comprising more than 5,600 properties with nearly 913,000 rooms, in 113 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company, Hilton earned a spot on the 2018 world’s best workplaces list, and has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its nearly 100 year history. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, nearly 85 million members who book directly with Hilton have access to instant benefits, including digital check-in with room selection, Digital Key, and Connected Room. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.