How Hilton will reach its 2030 social and environmental goals

24 May 2018

On top of removing plastic straws from its 650 managed properties by the end of 2018, Hilton revealed it will double its social impact investments and cut its global environmental impact in half by 2030. An estimated eight million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean each year, and research projects that plastic in our oceans could triple in a decade. Plastic pollution not only impacts our waters and marine life but also our food chain and overall health.

Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash

Simon Vincent, executive vice president and president, EMEA, Hilton said: “We have a huge responsibility to act as stewards of our natural resources and support the communities in which we operate. Through our corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, we are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact. Extending a ban on plastic straws across our managed portfolio is an important move in the right direction, and one which we are committed to building on in the coming years.”

With purpose

Hilton will remove plastic straws and offer a paper or biodegradable alternative upon request – an effort the company plans to implement globally across its hotels by the end of 2018. Hilton will also remove plastic water bottles from meetings and events in hotels across the EMEA region, as part of its global Meet with Purpose programme to offer socially and environmentally responsible meetings.

In Europe, Middle East and Africa alone, the commitment will remove more than five million plastic straws and 20 million plastic water bottles annually.

With this commitment, Hilton will become the first major hotel company to institute science-based targets to reduce its carbon emissions and commit to sending zero hotel soap to landfill.

The company will also double the amount it spends with local and minority-owned suppliers, and double its investment in programmes to help women and youth around the world. These goals are part of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose corporate responsibility strategy to further the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

“For nearly 100 years, Hilton has been driven by our mission to have a positive impact on the communities surrounding our hotels,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton, and chairman, World Travel and Tourism Council. “In this golden age of travel, we are taking a leadership role to ensure that the destinations where travellers work, relax, learn and explore are vibrant and resilient for generations of adventurers yet to come.”