Iberostar's Wave of Change programme will have eliminated over 200 tonnes of plastic waste by the end of 2018

To mark World's Oceans Day, the Iberostar Group released a special communique in which they stated that by the end of 2018 they would have eliminated more than 200 tonnes of plastic waste through the implementation of their Wave of Change programme in Spain. The hotelier now plans to roll out this initiative on a global scale and eradicate single-use plastic from all their properties around the world.

Keen to show the world that their Wave of Change initiative is already making a huge impact, Mallorca-based Spanish hotelier, Iberostar, has just announced that it is close to meeting its target of eliminating 200 tonnes of plastic waste in Spain.

Earlier in the year, Iberostar had announced it would be drastically reducing the use of single-use plastics in all of its Spanish properties. By May 2018 they were already working hard to replace plastics from room amenities in order to make rooms 100% plastic-free and had declared that by the following month they would have banned all single-use plastics from all their 36 Iberostar hotels and resorts in Spain.

Not shying away from their promise, as of today, the company claims to be close to meeting their goal after releasing a statement in which they say that thanks to their ambitious plan and plastic-free policy they will have prevented the generation of some 200,000 kilograms of plastic waste in 2018. All by replacing single-use plastics with alternative eco-friendly materials and all in less than a year's work!

The successful launch of Iberostar's Wave of Change programme, in line with Goal 14 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, when we're less than three months away from ending the year, has prompted the company to issue a detailed statement of their green achievements so far.

So, what exactly is in those 200 tonnes of plastic waste they would have avoided in 2018? Well, if you think that all it took was eliminating all plastic straws like other companies have recently started to do, you're well off the mark- Iberostar did this already in 2017 when it averted the use of 10 million plastic straws. Now, in 2018, they've kicked things up a gear and have replaced all plastic bottles with glass alternatives, which in turn has prevented some 43,800 kg of plastic waste.

They have also substituted all plastic bin liners for ones made from potato starch-based materials, thereby reducing the amount of plastic used by a whopping 134,619 kg. Plastic plates, cups and cutlery have all been replaced by bamboo alternatives, staving off a further 21,200 kg of plastics.

The new bracelets that guests wear are no longer made of plastic but of organic fabric instead, while plastic packaging has been replaced by recycled and recyclable materials. In rooms, amenities and accessories like pens and pencils will be redesigned to cut down a further 3,000 kg of hard plastics. And, they're not stopping there either, as Iberostar promises to bring their Wave of Change programme to all their international hotels and resorts outside Spain in 2019. Watch this space!

Iberostar's Wave of Change initiative focuses on three main areas: the conservation and protection of marine ecosystems, the promotion of sustainable fishing and the reduction of plastic pollution. So far, they've done really well on the latter which positively impacts the first and second areas, but there's more to come. We'll keep you in the loop.