The TUI Group has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing plastic in tourism.
With the publication of its updated guidelines on plastic reduction, the company is supporting its more than 430 hotels and thousands of partners in identifying and eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastic in all areas of hotel operations.
Since 2022, TUI has reduced the amount of plastic in its own hotel portfolio by an estimated 19% per guest night. At the same time, the company is taking action against microplastic pollution.
Following its successful introduction on cruise ships, TUI began equipping hotels with microfibre filters from the Cleaner Seas Group. The aim is to prevent microplastics released during washing processes from entering the sea and threatening marine biodiversity and human health.
Avoiding single-use plastic is the first and most effective step. To support hotels in this endeavour, TUI is publishing a new edition of the ‘TUI Hotels & Resorts Plastic Reduction Guidelines’. These are based on the findings and successes of the first version from 2019. The updated guidelines offer practical guidance on reducing plastic in all areas of hotel operations. They include recommendations for guest rooms, reception, restaurants, spas and kids’ clubs. In line with the motto ‘avoid, reuse, replace’, the guide places a particular emphasis on promoting reusable solutions rather than simply switching to another single-use item.
A new milestone has been reached at ROBINSON Cabo Verde: a pilot project for bottle filling stations is expected to save around 300,000 plastic bottles per year. Meanwhile, the consumption of water bottles in 16 TUI Hotels & Resorts Türkiye hotels fell by 34 per cent within two years – from 11.3 million bottles in 2022 to 7.4 million in 2024. This was supported by the use of over 300 water purification devices, which are now in operation.
To prevent plastic microfibres from entering sensitive ecosystems and marine life, TUI is now expanding the use of INDIKON filters from the Cleaner Seas Group. These innovative filters can capture up to 99 per cent of the microfibres released during the washing process. These can then be recycled as part of a closed-loop system. The initiative builds on the recent introduction of Cleaner Seas Group’s INDIKON marine filters across the Marella Cruise fleet. The filters also underwent a six-month trial run on Mein Schiff 3. The concept is now being extended to several ships in the ‘Mein Schiff’ fleet and an initial group of hotels to further support the protection of sensitive marine ecosystems. The first two filters have already been installed in two Robinson Clubs in the Maldives, with ten more planned for the Mediterranean region by the end of the year – another step towards reducing pollution at sea and on land.
“Reducing plastic pollution benefits local communities, our company and marine biodiversity. With the new plastic reduction guidelines and the introduction of microfibre filters in our hotels, we are creating real benefits – for people, for nature and for the future of TUI,” said Thomas Ellerbeck, Member of the Group Executive Committee and Chief Sustainability Officer of TUI Group.
Reducing plastic is an important focus of the TUI Sustainability Agenda (‘People, Planet, Progress’). As a member of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) led by the UN Environment Programme, TUI has committed to eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging by 2030. The initiative brings together players in the tourism industry to combat plastic pollution and promote a circular economy. TUI has updated its reporting on plastic reduction to align with GTPI standards. Instead of just recording the number of items, TUI now also records the estimated weight of plastic consumed, including per guest night. This makes progress easier to track.
