What Is Plastic Free July?
Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. The goal is to reduce the amount of single-use plastics being used, so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.
Why Get Involved With Plastic Free July?
For hospitality businesses, Plastic Free July creates the opportunity to introduce alternatives to single-use plastics. For consumers, this means they can visit the hospitality businesses that they love, without having a negative impact on the planet.
As the demand increases for more ethical and environmentally-friendly movements, this is a great way to have a positive impact on the local community, as well as benefiting the planet long-term.
By refusing single-use plastics, new alternatives discovered during the month can then become new habits, having a significant impact.
13 ways to reduce single-use plastic in hospitality this Plastic Free July
Whether you’re a restaurant, coffee shop, bar or hotel, there are ways that you can reduce single-use plastics. Each of the below items can be removed from operations, reduced in quantity, or swapped for recyclable, reusable or biodegradable alternatives:
- Water bottles
- Coffee cups
- Cling film
- Food containers
- Plastic sups
- Single-use wipes
- Plastic gloves
- Masks
- Straws
- Stirrers
- Toiletry bottles
- Packaging for tea or coffee
- Plastic bags
Single-use plastics in hospitality – Stats from the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
- Half a million straws are used each day around the world
- 500 billion disposable cups are consumed each year
- An estimated 4 trillion plastic bags are used annually around the world
- 32% of all plastic packaging ends up in our oceans each year
The demand for eco-friendly alternatives – Key findings from Gnatta
- The most important green factors for British consumers are: Recyclable Packaging (67%), Reusable Packaging (47%), Sustainable Materials (32%) and Local Sourcing (31%)
- Half (48%) say that excessive packaging would stop them re-visiting a business
- Demand for eco-friendly products peaked pre-pandemic in January 2020, and hasn’t returned to the same level since — though seasonal events like Veganuary do drive peaks in interest
- Almost half (47%) of Britons say they make a conscious effort to spend with sustainable brands, with a further third (35%) admitting they try to ‘sometimes’
Grow Awareness Of Plastic Free July
Click here to access free resources to help you shout about your Plastic Free July efforts.
Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing and is very passionate about the hospitality industry.