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Plastic pollution threatens the sustainability of our planet; it pollutes oceans, damages ecosystems, and takes hundreds of years to breakdown. Additionally, plastic is not biodegradable, it just breaks down into microplastics which contaminate the environment further.
Plastic is used nearly everywhere, however, most of it can be avoided and replaced with a sustainable alternative. As part of IHG’s Corporate Responsibility Journey to Tomorrow strategy, IHG are aiming to pioneer the transformation to a minimal waste hospitality industry - eliminating single-use items or moving to reusable or recyclable alternatives across the guest stay.
The hotel industry is responsible for a large amount of plastic pollution globally and hotel key cards are a part of this problem as guests often forget to hand them back and would therefore go to landfill. However, there are many alternative key card materials that can be used without compromising the guest experience.
Like many environmental problems, it can be difficult to know which option is best. This document provides guidance to encourage the re-use of key cards, as well as supporting the transition away from unsustainable key cards.
One of the most sustainable options is to encourage the reuse of existing key cards to reduce the number of cards that need to be procured. This is a cost efficient and effective way of reducing waste in the hotel.
Communication to guests will help to ensure cards are reduced and not lost. Below are a few tips on how hotel staff can encourage guests to give back their key cards.
- Reception staff to remind guests to give back key cards at check-out
- Provide visual communication material at reception e.g., a key card box to encourage guests
to give back the key cards
- Reward schemes to incentivise and engage guests
- Place a deposit on the card when issued
Before looking at new suppliers for sourcing sustainable key cards, it is worth checking with your existing suppliers to see if they already supply alternatives to plastic key cards.
If you do need to need to source sustainable key cards, the table highlights some questions to ask suppliers by material. Additionally, below are some example questions that would be useful to ask potential suppliers, applicable for all materials:
- Approximately how many times can the key card be used?
- Does the supplier take back any used products?
- Where are the key cards shipped from?
Before transitioning away from plastic key cards, a sustainable transition for the end of life of existing key cards should be considered. For example, re-using existing key cards for as long as possible and then recycling them upon end of life.
Below is a summary table providing guidance for sourcing sustainable key cards. The hotel sourcing location, raw material of the key card, reuse/recyclability and durability are some of the factors that should be considered when sourcing new key cards.
Any questions please contact: info@urfidcard.com