SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES TO PRESERVE ENVIRONMENT
IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have a series of initiatives aimed at reducing its waste footprint and promoting sustainable practices guided by the company’s 10-year responsible business plan, ‘Journey to Tomorrow’.
WASTE REDUCTION PROGRAM
The program is to prevent the disposal of about 2 million single-use plastic water bottles within the next 12 months.
The cluster has recently completed the installation of its automated Nordaq glass bottling plant. This move aims to reduce water wastage and reduction of single use plastics by utilizing reusable glass bottles and offer water produced through the in-house water treatment and bottling operations. This is a significant milestone, allowing the hotels to replace single-use water bottles in all their rooms and suites, preventing the disposal of about 2 million bottles within a year. This initiative also extends to the hotels’ restaurants and conference facilities where filtered water has already been served in carafes since 2019.
The hotel cluster has now partnered with Swedish company, Nordaq, a leader in the water bottling industry. The sustainably produced water has been described as the 'purest tasting water' by some of the best chefs and sommeliers around the world, as the Nordaq patented filtration system turns tap water impurity-free all while preserving healthful minerals, ensuring premium quality and natural taste.
The latest endeavour of IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City also seeks to contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint by restricting the transportation of bottled water from overseas.
PLASTIC REPLACEMENT
In addition to the bottling plant, IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have implemented a range of measures across its four properties to reduce its waste output further and promote sustainability. One of the most significant changes is the replacement of plastic key cards with eco-friendly, biodegradable wooden ones. This initiative aims to save an estimated 120,000 plastic cards per year. The cluster has also eliminated bathroom miniatures in favour of larger-size amenities to minimize single-use items, reducing 620,000 miniatures annually.