SOURCE:Sealed Air
DESCRIPTION:
Soap for Hope™, Sealed Air’s soap recycling and repurposing program, has become a key element in hotel sustainability and social responsibility programs. What on the surface seems like a simple effort to reduce guest waste at major properties around the world is actually changing lives in the communities where the soap would otherwise be discarded. Hotel properties who are customers of Sealed Air’s Diversey Care are eligible to participate in the Soap For Hope program. Once the hotel commits to the program, Sealed Air teams set up the process which will collect the discarded soap and divert it from being thrown out as waste. Once the collected soap is gathered, local community residents are trained in turning the soap into “new” bars which can then be distributed locally as well. The impact on local communities is immeasurable. Local citizens find a skill, and hand hygiene improves, reducing the spread of disease, as repurposed and recycled soap is distributed through the community.
The good vibes don’t stop with the happier, healthier, local community residents. As it turns out, partner hotels are taking home awards for their results in waste reduction and sustainability practices, which often are catalyzed by participating in Soap For Hope.
Recently, several notable awards were given to Sealed Air partner hotels in response to the results they have experienced as part of the Soap For Hope program. The Green Hotelier 2016 Award for Middle East & Africa was presented to Soap for Hope™ partner hotel Yassat Gloria Hotel & Apartments in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since joining in August 2015, Yassat Gloria Hotel & Apartments have diverted 5.21 tons of soap from local landfills. This soap has created more than 43,000 bars of soap, serving almost 3,000 people.
“This hotel stood out for the impressive impacts it has made since beginning its sustainability journey just three years ago. It scored highly in every category with investments to reduce energy, water and waste. It participates in the Soap for Hope™ programme recycling partially used bathroom amenities, as well as a local can collection programme that plants trees, whilst offsetting carbon and doing neighbourhood clean-ups.”– Green Hotelier
The Green Hotelier, published by the International Tourism Partnership, works with global hotels and hotel companies to drive a responsible and sustainable agenda. This publication provides global hotels access to best practices from industry leaders and hotel property case studies in addition to providing tourists with industry news, information and resources. Each year the Green Hotelier Award is presented to the greenest hotels represented in four regions around the world. These hotels have made commitments to sustainability through supporting their local community and the world.
Both Mövenpick Jumeirah and Jumeirah at Eithad Towers in the United Arab Emirates have been recertified by Green Globe acknowledging the hotels’ dedication to sustainability and participation in Soap for Hope™. The two hotels have diverted over 9 tons of soap together since they started with Soap for Hope™ in 2015. The soap collected is sent to Soap for Hope™ partners in Cambodia to be recycled and has created more than 75,000 bars of soap to date.
Pan Pacific Singapore was awarded the Singapore Green Hotel Award 2015 in September of 2015. This biennial award was launched in 2009 to encourage Singapore hotels to embrace sustainability and eco-friendliness. The most notable of Pan Pacific’s eco-friendly initiatives is Soap for Hope™. This hotel has diverted over 21 tons of soap since it started with Soap for Hope™ in 2014.
The American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam recognized Hilton Opera Hanoi and Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi for their corporate social responsibility initiatives including Soap for Hope™. These hotels began participating in Soap for Hope™ in August of 2015 and have collectively diverted over two tons of soap from local landfills. This soap created over 20,000 bars of soap and has served over 1,500 people in their community.
While these awards are truly notable, each of these hotel properties, and all of the participating Soap For Hope properties, are winning in a much bigger way. In today’s rapidly growing and changing business environment, hotels are finding sustainability strategy is no longer just about being green. Sustainability truly is about leaving the world better than you found it, and considering the full life cycle, from package opening to discarding, of every amenity they provide to guests. Sealed Air’s Soap For Hope program provides a comprehensive solution for hotel properties who wish to reduce their waste and improve lives in the communities where they operate. When a sustainability strategy means less waste, and empowered, healthier communities, it’s the global society that wins every time.
KEYWORDS: Ethical Production and Consumption, Sealed Air, International Tourism Partnership, Soap for Hope
