IHG Partners Unilever to Replace Bathroom Miniatures with Larger Bottles/Dispensers

(21 June 2022, 11:19 +07)  IHG has entered into a global collaboration with Unilever to replace bathroom miniatures with bulk amenities in over 4,000 hotels.

The larger bottles/dispensers will be of at least 250ml in size and are not replaced after each guest stay, cutting down on hotel waste and single-use plastic.

In 2019, IHG became one of the first global hotel companies to commit all of its hotel brands removing bathroom miniatures in favour of larger-size amenities, a key step in its pledge to eliminate single-use items throughout the guest stay by 2030.

All of IHG’s markets are now covered by bulk bathroom amenity contracts.

IHG is working with Unilever to replace bathroom miniatures with bulk amenities in over 4,000 hotels

Although it does vary slightly depending on the market, Unilever’s largest brand, Dove, will supply full-size hand wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion to IHG Essentials and Suites Collection hotels, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

The roll out of full-size Unilever products across IHG’s mainstream brands, which accounts for around 80% of IHG’s portfolio, follows the recent launch of larger-size bathroom amenities into InterContinental Hotels & Resorts properties.

The switch to full-size formats is expected to save at least 850 tonnes of plastic annually in IHG’s Americas region alone – the equivalent weight of five fully-grown blue whales or 70 double-decker London buses.

As well as switching to bulk amenities, the group is working to eliminate single-use items, minimise food waste and adopt circular solutions for major hotel commodity items by 2030.

Yasmin Diamond, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, “We’re excited to spell the end of bathroom miniatures through our collaboration with Unilever. Our guests are increasingly mindful of the impact their travel choices have on the environment and our colleagues, investors, owners and suppliers all expect us to act responsibly. Transitioning to bulk amenities across our global estate was one of our first significant steps towards eliminating single-use items throughout the guest stay by 2030.”

Unilever’s 2025 plan to help create a circular economy for plastic, includes commitments to halve the amount of virgin plastic it uses in its packaging and achieve an absolute reduction of more than 100,000 tonnes; collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells; ensure 100% of its plastic packaging is designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable; and to use 25% recycled plastic in its packaging.

Umesh Shah, CEO Unilever International, said, “Unilever is committed to making sustainable living commonplace, and we have ambitious targets across every part of our business. We are pleased to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to help extend sustainable living into the travel industry by providing bathrooms with bulk amenities. Through this collaboration, IHG’s guests will enjoy a range of products from Dove during their stay, while reducing their use of plastic.”

See also: Hotel Waste, Single-Use Plastic and Climate Change - HD Video Interview with WWF.

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