Thomas Cook has made a pledge today to remove 70 million single-use plastics within the next 12 months.
It said the move comes after a survey showed this is an issue which matters to 90% of customers.
The survey of 3,000 also showed 72% of customers said their awareness of their plastic use has grown in the past year.
Alice Macandrew, group corporate affairs director, said the amount of plastic litter going into the Mediterranean rises by 40% during the summer months, demonstrating a direct link between tourism and plastic pollution.
“When our customers notice litter on a beach, one third of them report that if affects their decision whether to visit that destination again,” she said.
“At the same time, the majority tell us that they can do without many of the most common single-use plastic items.”
The operator’s ‘noplaceforplastic’ campaign will see it eliminate single-use plastic wherever possible throughout its supply chain.
Thomas Cook is establishing a pilot in Rhodes to trial sustainable alternatives to plastic products and is also partnering with designers Wyatt and Jack to take broken and discarded plastic inflatables, lilos and children’s swimming armbands and turn them into re-usable bags and holiday accessories.
This is an excerpt from an article first published on Travelmole
