As single-use plastic remains high on the agendas of so many businesses,  a range of panellists discussed whether or not the industry is doing enough and taking responsibility for the plastic waste it creates.  

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The panel discussion was framed by Soren Stoeber of Trucost, part of SP Global, who have undertaken research into the environmental impact of the alternatives to plastic in a range of consumer goods applications.  It is important to understand that not all alternatives are as green as they seem and that any business considering phasing out or eliminating single-use plastic should be informed when taking their decisions.

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Victoria Barlow of the Thomas Cook Group outlined their #noplaceforplastic campaign, with a target of eliminating 70 million items of single-use plastics from across a variety of business segments, including offices, airlines and hotels.    TWP undertook a pilot project with 15 Thomas Cook hotels in 2018 and is looking forward to a continued relationship in 2019 and to counting their achievements towards the TWP goal of eliminating 1 billion items of plastic from waste-streams by the end of 2020.

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The audience heard about the devastating impact of single-use plastics upon marine environments from Ian Rowlands of Incredible Oceans, and how individuals and businesses can and MUST make significant changes today ​to keep our oceans special.

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Sherin Francis of The Seychelles Tourism Board outlined the steps being taken locally to reduce single-use plastics in a destination that clearly relies upon the integrity of the natural environment for its success and TWP Founder Jo Hendrickx outlined how their Let's Reduce Single-Use Toolkit can help hotels to understand where and how they can make practical and affordable changes, and how to navigate the challenges around the implementation of alternatives.