UKHospitality signs Plastic Pact to tackle waste

UKHospitality has emphasised its commitment to tackling packaging waste by signing the Plastic Pact.

Launched by sustainability experts WRAP, the Plastic Pact is a business collaboration aimed at cutting plastic waste.

The pact, which is signed by 42 businesses responsible for over 80% of plastic packaging sold on products through UK supermarkets and 15 other organisations, aims to eliminate unnecessary or problematic single-use plastic packaging design and see 100% of plastic packaging be reusable, recyclable or compostable. The pact also wants to see 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted and a 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.

It hopes to reach these aims by 2025.

UKHospitality is also helping to spearhead a sector-wide packaging event: Unpack the Future of Hospitality, in association with the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII), which aims to address the issue of packaging waste in hospitality.

UKHospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “The problems caused by packaging waste is becoming increasingly salient and there is a consensus that we must, collectively, do more.

“Our commitment to the Plastic Pact highlights our ambition to spearhead the hospitality sector’s efforts to address packaging waste and ensure the sector plays a valuable role in helping develop sustainable and green practices and alternatives to disposable packaging.”

She added: “Our event will bring together the entire sector to address the problem head-on and investigate the potential of a vibrant and dynamic industry to reduce packaging waste voluntarily. I am encouraging the entire sector to throw its weight behind the campaign, not only to address the issue of waste, but also to help underline the hospitality sector’s potential to make significant progress without the need for government intervention.”