BOSTON, Massachusetts: InterContinental Hotels Group will replace mini-shampoos and conditioners with possibly more efficient bulk products by the year 2021. Marriott Hotels recently followed suit, vowing to ban miniature toiletries by next year.These announcements are yet another example – such as banning plastic straws, false sustainability claims and corporate commitments that are far in the future – that seem to be more of a public relations exercise than real attempts to move the needle.
For example, most of the carbon footprint of companies like Apple, Microsoft and Cisco comes from the suppliers who actually make the iPhones, routers and Xboxes, not directly from the company itself. It is another “feel good” initiative which help avoid the move to more serious actions that can actually make a difference.
Signs promoting plastic free products and packaging are seen as shoppers browse the shelves at Budgens supermarket in Belsize Park, north London on Jul 2, 2019. Beyond that, brands will reclassify economically sensible cost-cutting initiatives, such as energy savings, as sustainability initiatives.