Hilton announced Monday that its Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton and All Suites brands are launching a partnership with Clean the World, a global health leader dedicated to sustainability and water, sanitization and health.
Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton will all encourage employees to collect bars of soap left behind by guests to be recycled into 1 million bars of new soap by Global Handwashing Day (October 15) for Clean the World to distribute to communities in need.
HOTELS asked Bill Duncan, Hilton’s global head All Suites and Focused Service category, what the move means for the company.
HOTELS: Why now with this initiative?
Bill Duncan: Hilton has a longstanding relationship with Clean the World, a global health leader dedicated to sustainability and water, sanitization and health. Over the past 10 years, we have diverted more than 2 million pounds of waste from landfills, resulting in more than 7.6 million bars of recycled soap donated to communities in need, but there is still more work to be done.
We are in the midst of a hygiene epidemic and there is an urgent need for recycled soap donation and hygiene education in communities all over the world. There are 2.3 billion people around the globe who still lack basic sanitation and hygiene-related diseases such as diarrheal and pneumonia account for 1 in 4 child deaths worldwide.
H: What is the opportunity here for Hilton?
BD: Since the inception of our partnership with Clean the World, we have received strong feedback from our owners that this is a great program and the right thing to do. Our owners have been supportive of us making soap and plastic amenity recycling a brand standard across the five brands, and this Clean the World Challenge bolsters our commitment. As the most robust effort yet between Hilton and Clean the World, the Challenge will take place across hotels in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
H: What more could hospitality be doing in this area? What are the challenges and obstacles, and how does Hilton plan to handle those?
BD: Sustainability and global warming are hot topics in the world we live in today, and sustainable travel is at the top of globe trotters’ priorities. Hilton has created an entire corporate responsibility platform around sustainable travel, showcasing how small changes can have huge results. Travel with Purpose redefines sustainable travel by driving and inspiring positive social and environmental change. As part of Travel with Purpose, Hilton plans to double its social impact investment and cut its environmental footprint in half by 2030. This includes sending zero bars of soap to landfills.