The Last Straw : Kata Rocks ends the use of plastic straws at its Luxury Resort in Phuket
PHUKET, 21 September 2018 - Kata Rocks has launched its new sustainability and social impact initiative as it moves to eliminate single-use plastics in the luxury resort starting from 1 September and reach its broader goal within one year.
Guests staying at Kata Rocks are increasingly eco-conscious and are a driving force behind the shift in demand for sustainable travel options. It decides to end the use of plastic straws a natural one, as it is also a significant step towards achieving wider sustainability goals that protect natural habitats of many endangered marine species.
According to Infinite Luxury CEO Richard Pope, the resort wants to inspire more hotels to continue reducing plastic products in their day-to-day operations.
“We at Kata Rocks are committed to being part of the leadership for change. To do so, we need to understand and explain the importance of this decision and how it impacts our future.”
‘This initiative reflects our values as an organisation, and how our actions and responsibilities as a resort impact the environment. These assets, the beach, sea and its marine life are the prime reasons tourists come to Phuket,” he added.
Kata Rocks aims to inspire the local community to follow this lead and encourage guests to carry their experiences at the resort back home with them by continuing to reduce their overreliance on plastic bags and straws in their day-to-day lives.
It recently acted to remove all plastic drinking straws from its food and beverage outlets and organised events. Guests will be offered alternatives. Regular plastic straws will be replaced with eco-friendly and paper straws.
Moving forward the resort is also exploring ways how it can eliminate waste from single-use plastic water bottles. Regular plastic water bottles will be replaced with carton – easily recyclable- packaging, which will please nature and guests alike. The resort is also considering bottling its water in reusable glass containers, by developing an onsite water filtration and purification facility, offering still and sparkling water options in fully reusable glass containers.
This comes as Kata Rocks continues to highlight its commitment to Phuket’s environment and ocean conservation, as well as the rescue of imperilled marine animals that are most at risk from plastic.
Plastic straws may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about ocean pollution. Although small and seemingly harmless, Singapore alone uses an estimated 2.2 million plastic straws daily; they cause immense harm to the environment. The issue is critical in Asia, where China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam dump more plastic into oceans than the rest of the world combined, threatening nearly 700 marine species with extinction due to plastic pollution.
Published: September 2018
