Recently in 2022, the world population has crossed the 8 Billion mark. This increase paired with the fast pace of development impacts economic, social, and environmental burdens. As agreed by government's across the world and through increased consciousness of sustainable lifestyle, sustainability is the way to a Better Future.
The hospitality industry is one of the industries that put an enormous burden on natural resources and the environment. However, there are major sustainable changes in the hospitality industry that are shown on the face or are visibly seen such as rainwater harvesting, utilization of solar energy, waste management, and sustainable construction. These efforts are applauded as they have reduced the impact on the environment for good. These efforts are recognized and seen.
What about less-seen rather hidden but majorly impacting activities? We want to mainly focus the attention on the 'in Room' Grooming kits available. The grooming kits in the room may have Dental kits, Shower cap, Comb, Earbuds, Shaver, and Bathing kits apart from branded bottles. Generally, these items are made of one-time-use plastic and change every time a new customer checks in at the hotel. Imagining the number of plastic generated per customer gives us Goosebumps.
As per Statista, 2022, the occupancy rate of Indian Hotels in 2022 is 66%. The total number of hotel rooms is around 144,000. It is safe to assume that out of 144,000, the number of occupied rooms are around 95,040 in 2022. The number of one-time plastic items such as plastic bottles and grooming kits used in these rooms is multiple times the number of rooms as these items are replaced with new ones when a new guest comes in or additional items are provided when an existing guest requires more items in the room. For instance, if a room is occupied by 50 different guests in a year, the number of plastic generated is at least 50 plastic bottles, 50 plastic combs, 50 shower caps, 50 plastic shavers, and 50 whatnot in the grooming kits. This is just an example of one room, the combined impact of the 95,040 occupied rooms in India in 2022 is beyond comprehension and displays ignorance on the part of the Indian hospitality industry.
Hotels and Investors are shifting their focus to sustainable practices but why only the visible ones? Is the purpose of these sustainable changes to attract recognition that can be labelled as a 'big change' or is the hospitality industry willing to reduce their in-room plastic consumption as well, given that the one-time use plastic items in the room create a major impact on the environment and guests? What do you think, Will the hospitality industry in India turn to sustainability even in the non-seen items/ hidden items such as grooming kits?