Thomas Cook makes plastic pledge
Thomas Cook has made a pledge today to remove 70 million single-use plastics within the next 12 months.
It said the move comes after a survey showed this is an issue which matters to 90% of customers.
The survey of 3,000 also showed 72% of customers said their awareness of their plastic use has grown in the past year.
Alice Macandrew, group corporate affairs director, said the amount of plastic litter going into the Mediterranean rises by 40% during the summer months, demonstrating a direct link between tourism and plastic pollution.
"When our customers notice litter on a beach, one third of them report that if affects their decision whether to visit that destination again," she said.
"At the same time, the majority tell us that they can do without many of the most common single-use plastic items."
The operator’s ‘noplaceforplastic’ campaign will see it eliminate single-use plastic wherever possible throughout its supply chain.
It said it will also work with destination governments, other tour operators, customers and employees, to strengthen recycling infrastructure.
"We recognise we have a lot more to do to understand how much plastic Thomas Cook – and our network of supply chains and partners – really use across our business," said Macandrew.
"We are starting with the big volume items like straws and stirrers where we expect to see immediate action. And we are focusing on our own brand hotels and our airline, because this is where we have the greatest control to effect change."
Thomas Cook is establishing a pilot in Rhodes to trial sustainable alternatives to plastic products and is also partnering with designers Wyatt and Jack to take broken and discarded plastic inflatables, lilos and children’s swimming armbands and turn them into re-usable bags and holiday accessories.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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