Consumer Insights on Plastic Reduction in the UK Hospitality Industry

This report analyzes the current plastic usage within the UK hospitality industry, focusing on consumer insights regarding plastic reduction. It explores the environmental impact of plastic, the current plastic usage situation, and consumer perspectives on the issue. The report also examines the Marriott Hotel & Resorts as a case study, including their efforts to reduce plastic consumption and their sustainability initiatives. The research methodology involves a literature review using secondary sources, and a quantitative method using a questionnaire to collect primary data from 50 respondents. The findings and analysis of the collected data are presented, leading to conclusions and recommendations for reducing plastic usage and promoting sustainability within the hospitality sector, with a focus on consumer behavior and preferences. The report aims to provide insights into the challenges and opportunities for reducing plastic use and to suggest effective strategies for hospitality businesses to adopt.

Reduction of plastic in hospitality industry in
the UK - consumer insights

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Plastic is most convenient and common materials in the modern society. Use of the
plastic is controversial due to the negative impact on environment, human health and the
biodiversity. This does not biodegrade in environment but this breaks down in small particles
which can impact negatively on human health through releasing the toxins in food chain and
through poisoning the marine life and wildlife. As the awareness of harm of enhance in plastic
goods, organisations are mainly searing for the minimum ways to reduce plastic use. The present
research is related to analyse the current plastic usage situation and consumer insights on
reducing plastic within the hospitality business. In the given research, aim and objectives has
been developed on the basis of subject area. The information has been collected in literature
review by using secondary sources such as books, magazines, articles and journals. There has
been discussion about the current plastic usage situation in hospitality business and harmful
effects of plastic usage for environment. The usage of plastic is harmful for the environment so it
is necessary to reduce it by using the effective ways. The research methodology part has been
conducted for examining the tools and techniques for collection of data. There has been
quantitative method used because it helps in provide the in-depth information and data regarding
specific area. Under this, primary method of data collection has been used by developing a
questionnaire on the basis of specific subject area. In order to fill the questionnaire, there have
been 50 respondents chosen with the help of using random sampling method. At last, conclusion
and recommendations has been made on the basis of whole research.

Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................2
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
Overview of the research............................................................................................................1
Background of research problem................................................................................................2
Rationale of the research.............................................................................................................3
Research aim...............................................................................................................................3
Research objectives.....................................................................................................................4
Research questions......................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................5
The current plastic usage situation in hospitality business.........................................................5
The consumer insight in context of reducing use of plastic........................................................6
The harmful effects of plastic usage for environment................................................................7
The ways of reducing plastic usage in Marriott Hotel & Resorts...............................................8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................10
RESULTS......................................................................................................................................15
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS.........................................................................34
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................35
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................35
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................35
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................37

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the research
Plastic usage is a very common practice which is mostly used by people but it has a
harmful impact on environment. The plastic is more frequently used as carry bags for carrying
various products from market to home. It includes that plastic can be considered as an important
element in regards to various items such as water bottles, combs, beverages containers which is
responsible for creating tonnes of plastic waste at global level. However, it has been analysed
that plastic have different forms which are using by people in which some of them are very
harmful because they are not able to recycle or destroyed in many years (Han and et. al., 2018).
Such type of plastic become a major threat of the atmosphere and develop environmental
imbalance. It involves different kinds of plastic such as high density polythene (HDPE),
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polythene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene or
styrofoam (PS), miscellaneous plastics like polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene,
fibreglass, nylon & polycarbonate and polythene terephthalate (PETE or PET). In addition to
this, the plastic usage is carried out at large level at global level with generate problematic
situation for atmosphere. Extra use of plastic items and habit of throwing them in water bodies
create dangerous situation for aquatic animals because these plastic products get tangled with
plastic which make their life terrible. Many of hungry land animals eat waste and swallow
plastics items which have an accountability of their death. Tangling situation is mostly observed
in sea creates when they are suffering from problems in surviving which leads to death.
Plastic is required to be reduced by efforts of people and business organisation dealing in
hospitality industry to overcome with situation of pollution developed by excess use of plastic. It
includes major use of plastic by people because it is cheaper product, durable and addresses the
hygienic concerns due to which it is mostly preferred (Mensah, 2019). It is observed that plastic
is used in hospitality businesses because it is favourable to address the expectations immediacy
and convenience of guests. It is helpful in practice of use an throw easily due to which hotels and
restaurants used it to deliver their products for attaining needs and desires of customers.
However, the single use of plastic globally is developing serious cost for atmosphere of Earth
which create problems for human beings as well as other living beings of the planet. Plastic is
commonly used on Hospitality business in UK due to its cheaper cost and hygienic concerns but

it is responsible for destroying beauty of tourist destinations. It is necessary for authorities
associated with tourism sector to focus on this aspect that plastic create the major problem of
cleanliness and damage purity of atmosphere which impact on image of specific tourist place. It
will reduce attractiveness of particular place which decrease customer demand that results in
reduction of profitability. Meanwhile, tourism avoid to visit such places where plastic waste is
lying everywhere in order to avoid health problems. It is required to apply strict legal regulations
to reduce use of plastic because it is a major threat of earth.
Plastic use destroys the natural balance because it impacts negatively on lives of land and
aquatic animals that play an important role to make a balance in entire ecosystem. It becomes a
major issue because some of plastic forms cannot destroy and recycles which develops problem
of pollution. However, the hospitality companies of United Kingdom should apply the anti-
plastic fight and say no to plastic which is helpful for eliminating relevant threats of environment
(Sisson, Grisamore and Jang, 2020). The scale of single use of plastic in hospitality sector is
responsible for developing poison for nature which has a negative impact including waste on
beaches and rivers which can generate injury for people while swimming. It is necessary for
government to provide more effective as well as efficient guidelines of hospitality companies or
reduction of plastic use. Meanwhile, the convenient and comfort level is increased in terms of
products and services provided in hotels to boost up customer satisfaction. It is essential for
hotels operating in country to make their operational activities and delivery of services plastic
free to avoid plastic issues
Background of research problem
In context of this dissertation, it is based on the Marriott Hotels & Resorts which is
known as a brand operating in hotels and resorts. This organisation is based in Bethesda,
Maryland which is considered in best companies working in United Kingdom. It was founded by
J. Williard Marriott in the year around 1957, almost 63 years ago. However, it has number of
branches through the business is operating as it has around 567 hotels and resorts including
201366 rooms approximately (Baicu, Oehler-Sincai and Popescu, 2019). They provide effective
services and products to customer at global level through efforts of their well experienced and
creative employees. Marriott Hotels & Resorts announced about adopt plan for removing the
disposable plastic stirrers and straws from more than 6500 properties across the 30 brands around
world. After executed in one year, Marriott Hotels & Resorts could eliminate use of more than

the 1 million of plastic straws per years and also around quarter billion stirrers. In addition to
this, plastic straw of Marriott is latest change to increase business operations sustainability along
with reduction in plastic consumption. This hotel started to replace the small toiletry bottles in
guest bathrooms of around 450 chosen service hotels with the larger to minimize wastage. The
main initiative developed by Marriott hotel to minimizing the environmental impact. It sets
ambitious sustainability as well as social impact objectives which minimizing the landfill waste
through 45% and also responsibly sourcing top 10 categories of goods throughout 2025. The
sustainability programs are helpful in minimize environmental footprint.
Rationale of the research
Present report is taken into consideration on current plastic usage situation and consumer
insights on reducing plastic within the hospitality business. The plastic has the several valuable
uses and this also served to the environmental consequences. In this present time, around 300
million tonnes of the plastic waste produced every year. The plastic pollution has one of most
pressing environment related issues and enhancing manufacturing of the disposable plastic
goods. It is one of the effective exploration areas that are important in exploring knowledge in
context to particular research area (Barnard, 2015). Through conducting an investigation, learner
will get the information regarding the issues arise from the usage of plastic and the ways to
reducing it. Present research is helpful enhancing the skills and understanding of a learner so that
it cannot face any issue and enhance knowledge base. Another reason of researcher behind
conducting an investigation is personal interest of an investigator. It is effective in developing
professional and personal ability which would effective in considering the better productivity in
future.
Research aim
Research aim expresses intention of research study. This summarise in single sentence
that need to be attain in end of research project. Researcher should be phrased and specific in
such a manner that this is possible to determine what has been attained. It is helpful in generate
the testable and measurable data for accumulation of the people knowledge (Boluk, 2017).
“To analyse the current plastic usage situation and consumer insights on reducing plastic
within the hospitality business. A study on Marriott Hotel & Resorts.”

Research objectives
These explain concisely what an investigation is trying to attain. They summarise
accomplishments an investigator wishes to attain by project and gives right direction to study.
These are particular attainments that an investigators hopes to attain through study. Researcher
should assure that research objectives should be attainable means framed in keeping mind and
infrastructure needed for an investigation (Bruns-Smith and et. al., 2015).
 To examine the current plastic usage situation in hospitality business.
 To evaluate the consumer insight in context of reducing use of plastic.
 To determine the harmful effects of plastic usage for environment.
 To identify the ways of reducing plastic usage in Marriott Hotel & Resorts.
Research questions
 What is the current plastic usage situation in hospitality business?
 How to evaluate the consumer insight in context of reducing use of plastic?
 What are the harmful effects of plastic usage for environment?
 How to identify the ways of reducing plastic usage in Marriott Hotel & Resorts?

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature is explains as collection of the published information on specific subject area
for an instance journals, books, articles, magazines etc. Literature review is search and also
examination of available literature in specific research area. It shows about the readers that they
have in- depth grasp of subject and add to existing agreed knowledge body. This is more than
summary of sources that combine both synthesis and summary (Choi and et. al., 2019). Summary
is recap of essential information of source but synthesis is related to reshuffling information. In
literature review, reviewing act consisting examining the individual sources and also
synthesising sources to gain wider overpower of specific area. In conducting the literature review
part, secondary sources of data collection has been used. In this literature review has been
discussed about the current use of plastic in the hospitality business. Plastic is harmful for the
environment, animals and human and this impact on their health.
The current plastic usage situation in hospitality business
As per views of Dembek (2020), Plastic wastage has become main issue of environment.
This is clogging to ocean, causing great harm deal to planet. In context to tackle issues, main
campaign has been launched and also minimize amount of the plastic wastage both businesses
and customers are generating. Plastic can be considered as one time invention but nobody can
deny its harmful impact of environment which is required to be reduced. The hospitality sector is
waking up to issue related to plastic waste but it is two way street. The hotels are relying on
affordable and convenient materials as much as the visitors do. The single use plastic goods have
given economy and convenience. The plastic goods ate cheap, address hygienic concerns and
durable. These are mainly apparent in hospitality sector because of better expectations of guests.
It includes the cost of food being wasted in food service in hospitality and food services sector
was estimated around £2.5 billion per year in United Kingdom. It is observed that wastage has
been done on a large level which is required to be preventing because this cost of food wastage
raises to £3.0 billion till next 5 to 6 years. In the hospitality sector, single 200 room four start
hotel can use around 300000 pieces of the single use of plastic in month of this is at the full
capacity. There is an estimation consists 20000 plastic water bottles, 49765 plastic amenities and
also 2166693 pieces of the plastic for beverage and food operations consisting storage bags,
plastic wrap and latex gloves (Eshun and Appiah, 2018).

Marriott group has been announced that this will replace many of its hotels single use
conditioners, bath gels and shampoo bottles with larger ones throughout 2020, preventing around
500 million of tiny plastic bottles from reaching the landfills. In regards to this, Marriott chain
of the hotels has began replacing person, little amenity of bath bottles at five of chosen serve
brand in the North America. This hotel expects around 1500 hotels in the initiative end year.
Change is mainly expected to result in elimination of the 34.5 million of bottles and 375000
pounds of the plastic in average year. This has been estimated that 91% of the plastic waste has
not been recycled and 73% of beach less is plastic (Eshun, 2018). Other than this, Marriott
international hotel revealed that they will out the plastic straws out of 60 of UK locations and
around 6500 of worldwide resorts and hotels with corporate HQ. This hotel expects to eliminate
the 1 billion of plastic straws every year. Marriott group has introduced new shower products
dispenser system in context of giving throwaway conditioner and shampoo bottles. Many of the
hotels are replacing the plastic bottles with glass bottles in order to cut the harmful single used
plastic bottles.
COVID-19 is a Coronavirus disease that impact on the health of people. It is pneumonia
of the unknown cause that mainly detected in Wuhan, China was reported first to office of WHO
organisation in China on 31 December, 2019. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that mainly
caused through new virus. This disease causes the respiratory illness with some symptoms like
fever, cough and breathing problems. In context to hospitality sector, there is a need to provide
the roper guidelines issues by hospitality industry that consists washing hands on frequent basis,
avoiding the close contact (1 meter) with people with are unhealthy and avoid touching face.
There is a need to people to maintain full hygiene level in order to protect this COVID-19.
The consumer insight in context of reducing use of plastic
According to Matthew Oldfield (2020), Plastic was seen as the miraculous materials
which catered to convenience culture. Many of the plastic materials are not degrade completely
and remain in environment. This is thought that only 5% of the plastics are mainly recycles with
40% ending up in the landfill and more than 30% in environment. More than 80% of plastic
waster in oceans originated on the land and also three quarters of comes from the uncollected
wastage. Plastic leakage results in around 8 million metric tonnes of the plastic materials that
entreating in oceans each year. More than 80% of the plastic wastage in oceans originates on
land and the three quarters of that comes from the uncontrolled wastage (Ghadban, Shames and

Mayaleh, 2017). Under this, better way to minimize amount of the plastic wastage entering in to
ocean to simply curt this off at source and also minimize amount that is mainly used in first
place. Impact of the climate change is felt already and the customers are more aware of personal
impact on planet. This is no longer some other problem to solve but everyone has part to
preventing. In context to this debate has wider from the specified concerned with the climate
change, to range of customer issues and from populations to the single use of plastics. In order to
reduce the plastics, consumers are mainly select to purchase goods without any packaging and
refuse to use straws.
Consumers can be helpful in fix issue through making effort in minimize plastic wastage.
Better way to minimize the wastage is to use reusable bags from grocery shops. People leave
stores with large number of the plastic bags which get thrown away. Drinking from reusable
water bottle instead of disposable can be helpful. Consumers can neglect to go the containers
such as cups from the coffee shops leftover from restaurants. In restaurants, consumers can
neglect to use the plastic straws. They need to purchase the household goods such as laundry
detergent in the cardboard boxes instead of the plastic bottles. The small chance in daily life can
add more and minimize amount of the plastic wastage in environment. Other than this, there is a
need to avoid the microbeads. The plastic microbeads are mainly added to toothpastes, body
washes and face scrubs which are mainly responsible for providing the freshly-scrubbed feeling.
In context to this, small size means they enter oceans by sewer systems. Governments are
beginning to ban the microbeads which are still for the sale purpose of globe. There is a need to
customers to neglect them through looking for the materials scubas as polypropylene and
polythene in ingredients list (Hendrickson and Skerrette, 2020). On the other hand, if consumers
are more passionate regarding reducing plastic wastage and also minimizing the pollution in
environment, consumers can become advocate in community. Other than this, there are some
ways which consumers can be adopt for reducing the plastic use given below:
Stop purchasing plastic bottle- The biggest aggregate source of plastic waste in our
oceans is water and other beverage bottles with their tops. Over 1 million plastic bottles are
purchased worldwide per minute and only a small proportion is recycled. This is a simple option-
a reusable stainless steel or glass container, which can be used repeatedly. These bars are robust
and simple to purify and can easily be thrown into a bag or left to drink. So, in order to minimise
the plastic bottles, consumers should avoid purchasing it.

Select cardboard over plastic bottles and bags- Cardboard is easier to recycle than
plastic, and paper products are much easier to biodegrade without adding much weight to
product than glass or aluminium can. So, choose spaghetti in the bag rather than noodles, or
detergent in the container when you want. You can put it in the tub. It is even better to search for
companies which sustainably supply their cardboard or take a strong position on deforestation.
The harmful effects of plastic usage for environment
On the basis of Cristine Felt (2020) Plastic pollution is an accumulation of the plastic
particles and objects in environment that impact adversely on humans, wildlife, wildlife habitat
etc. It is when the plastic has collected in area and has started to develop negative impact on
natural environment and also develop issues for wildlife, plants and the human population. It
consists killing plant life and poisoning dangers for local animals. Amount of the garbage in
world enhanced as population grows and also disposable plastic goods such as soda cans, bottles
over a period of time. It occurs when the enough plastic has collected in area that impact natural
environment and also harm humans and environment (Huang, 2016). Plastic has the toxic
pollutants which damage environment and also cause water, air and land pollution. This can take
the many years for breakdown of plastic to damage environment for long lasting.
Distribution of the plastic debris is variable as resist of some factors like ocean currents,
urban areas and the coastline geography. This serves as means of the organism distribution in
order to remote coasts which are not native environment. It could enhance variability and
organisms dispersal in particular areas which are minimum biologically diverse. The plastics cal
used as the vectors for the chemical contaminants fort an instance heavy metals and organic
pollutants. Most obvious pollution form is related with the plastic packaging is the wasted plastic
that sent landfills. They are stable in nature and stay in environment for long period of time. The
decomposition rates are reduced by the anti- oxidants which produce to increase the resistance of
container need to attack through acidic contents. Plastic put chemical burden on environment. In
relation to this, burning of the plastic in open air leads to arise environmental pollution because
release of the poisonous chemicals. Polluted air when inhaled through animals and people can
impact on their health and also cause the respiratory issues. The plastic usage is harmful for
environment along with the humans. For long time, the plastic bags were mainly used as free and
also painless solutions in order to carrying weekly supermarket shop and range of the other
purposes (Islam, Rahman and Haque, 2016). The plastic pollution has large impact on

environment but plastic waste is not being unavoidable. Every time customers make choice to
neglect the plastic goods which minimize risk of the environmental damage. Plastic sticks in
environment for the ages threatening the wildlife and also spreading toxins, plastics contribute
towards the global warming. All the plastics made from the chemicals which come from
production of the planet-warming fuels for an instance coal, gas and oil. Burning the plastics in
the incinerators releases the climate wrecking gases and also toxic air pollution. In United
Kingdom, there are more than 35 million of plastic bottles used every day. Carrying the reusable
bottle is better way to cut use of plastic and also save the money also.
Figure 1: Environmental impact
(Source: Environmental Impact. Effects, Dangers of Plastic Bags)
On ground, plastic shopping bags are one of the common litter types. Build large quantities
of plastic bags that obstruct local drainage systems are popular for they. Plastic shopping bags
are also dangerous for safety for humans over the years, because pollutants are leached into the
supply of water. Upon use, most sacks are moved to sites. More and more bags clutter the
atmosphere every year. When they are garbage, our rivers, parks, beaches and streets are filled
with plastic bag. And if burned, they add poisonous gases to the air.
The ways of reducing plastic usage in Marriott Hotel & Resorts
According to Margaret Badore (2020), Recycling can helpful in minimize garbage
amount that ends up in the ecosystems and landfills. Few kinds of the plastics can recycled
through governments. Fraction which get recycles needs more energy and water when this comes