Marriott International in Asia Pacific Makes Strides in Embedding Sustainabilty into Hotel Operations

With More Than 740 Properties Across The Region, Marriott International Continues To Be A Force For Good In Asia Pacific

Hong Kong, China – October 31, 2019 – Marking the second anniversary of Marriott International’s flagship social impact and sustainability platform, Marriott International in Asia Pacific is strengthening its commitment to sustainable operations. From hotel-led to regional and global initiatives, Marriott International is finding innovative ways to operate more sustainably.

“Travelers are increasingly concerned about the impact of tourism on the destinations they visit, so it’s important that we are transparent with our sustainability efforts and how we’re progressing,” said Craig Smith, Group President, Marriott International Asia Pacific. “We’ve made some great strides in advancing sustainability in Asia Pacific over the last two years, and we will continue to positively impact the communities and environments in which we operate.”

In Asia Pacific, Marriott International is making a positive and sustainable impact through its global sustainability and social impact program – Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction – that it launched in 2017. By the end of 2025, the company aims to decrease waste to landfill by 45%, cut food waste by 50%, and reduce water and carbon intensity by 15% and 30% respectively. With over 740 properties in the Asia Pacific region, Marriott International continues to use its size and scale to be a force for good.

In August, Marriott International announced its global initiative to switch single-use toiletry bottles with larger, pump-topped bottles in guestrooms by the end of 2020. At a local level, hotels are embedding sustainability through is operations to create more efficient facilities and offerings, and engaging with community organizations to benefit local communities.

Decreasing Landfill and Food Waste

Marriott International is evolving its waste management and recycling initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic waste. In the last two years, Marriott International has used its global scale to reduce plastic through its plan to remove disposable plastic straws and plastic stirrers through all its properties globally, as well as the plan to switch tiny, single-use toiletry bottles in guestrooms with larger, pump-topped bottles.  When fully implemented across the globe, Marriott International’s expanded toiletry program will prevent over 1.7 million pounds of plastic going to landfill, a 30 percent annual reduction from current levels. The company continues to explore alternatives for single-use plastics, such as edible, marine-degradable, and compostable seaweed straws. Hotels in Asia Pacific are complementing these efforts with local initiatives such as the ‘Feed Goby the Fish’ by W Bali – Seminyak. The fish crafted out of metal is filled with used plastics for recycling and reminds guests that this is the only ‘fish’ that should be eating plastic.

Marriott International has guest room recycling standards that require each hotel to offer recycling bins in all rooms and collect materials when recycling services are available. To implement this, the company is helping hotels to install recycling bins and signage in guest rooms for easier collection and disposal. Properties in the Asia Pacific region are doing their part by creating unique new products from their recyclable waste. Marriott Manila Hotel is making school chairs from single-use plastics for the Philippines School for the Deaf and the Philippines Red Cross, providing better learning opportunities for students in the community. Elsewhere, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is turning ring tabs from guests’ aluminum drink cans into artificial limbs for those in need.

With over 2,800 restaurants and bars in Asia Pacific, Marriott International also has the opportunity to reduce food waste through innovative dining concepts. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Hotel launched a “Second Love” concept at Goji Kitchen + Bar, one of Bangkok’s largest all-day restaurants, to make best use of all ingredients, for example pineapple peel to create a cocktail.  The hotel contributes 83 pounds of food on average to the Scholar of Sustenance Foundation Thailand (SOS) network, which redistributes meals to underprivileged people in Bangkok. It became the first urban five-star hotel in the world to receive the Pledge on Food Waste certification and continue to work towards the company’s goal to achieve zero food waste to landfill.

With more companies looking for sustainable venues, Marriott International hotels are actively seeking ways to reduce waste in meetings and events. The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Bangkok, offers a ‘Green Meeting Package’, which includes eco-friendly materials and refreshments.  All the hotel’s conference venues and meeting rooms use minimal energy consumption and it was the first hotel in the world to attain an Event Sustainability Management System standard (ISO20121).

Sourcing Responsibly and Locally

By 2025, Marriott International aims to locally source 50 percent of all produce and responsibly source 95 percent of its Top 10 priority categories – animal proteins (inclusive of beef, eggs, lamb, pork and poultry), cleaning supplies, bottled water, cocoa, coffee, guest room amenities, paper products, seafood, sugar and textiles. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa installed a Generation Water system that draws potable water from the humidity in the air, to reduce the need for bottled water in the hotel. It is expected that the system will replace more than 2 million plastic bottles in 2019, significantly contributing to the company’s waste reduction and responsible sourcing goals.

Marriott International launched a responsible seafood awareness and education program across all hotels globally, encouraging them to consider alternative seafood species in dining outlets. The newly-opened Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel designed all of its menus to comply with World Wildlife Fund standards, using only sustainable seafood in all its restaurants and catering. In Australia, W Brisbane’s Three Blue Ducks restaurant has curated a menu inspired by its Queensland locale featuring local, fresh and honest food.

Reducing Water Consumption Across Hotel Operations

With increasing pressure on water resources in Asia Pacific, Marriott International is implementing water-saving strategies to reduce water and energy consumption. By 2025, the company will minimize its water intensity by 15 percent through reduction, water treatment and collection initiatives. Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa in India is driving change by installing high-efficiency showers in guest rooms, and treating wastewater to use in flushing systems at the hotel.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,000 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 132 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world.  The company now offers one travel program, Marriott Bonvoy™, replacing Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®(SPG).