CHUMBE ISLAND CORAL PARK JOINS AS SIGNATORY TO THE GLOBAL TOURISM PLASTIC INITIATIVE TO CONTINUE TO TAKE ON PLASTIC POLLUTION

Chumbe Island has become a signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the United Nations Environment Programme and World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative unites the tourism sector behind a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution. It enables businesses and governments to take concerted action, leading by example in the shift towards a circularity in the use of plastics.

As a signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, Chumbe Island proves that it has been committed and managed to eliminate, innovate and circulate its use of plastics since its early days. Specifically we will commit to:

• Eliminating from our food and drink services 100% of plastic packaging and items, single-portion or single-serving packaging, containers for cleaning products, and cling films by 2020
• Eliminating from our service areas 100% of plastic packaging and items, single-portion or single-serving packaging, containers for cleaning products, and cling films by 2020
• Eliminating from our kitchens plastic 100% of packaging and items, single-portion or single-serving packaging, containers for cleaning products, and cling films by 2020
• Introduce reusable solutions in our food and drink services, kitchens, bathrooms and service areas to replace plastic packaging and items, single-portion or single-serving packaging and containers for cleaning products as well as cling films by 2020
• Organising beach cleaning events with schools as part of the Environmental Education program
• Engaging the value chain to provide data on recyclability and compostability of plastic packaging to facilitate the move towards 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.

“Chumbe Island has eliminated single-use plastics from its operations since many years and implements a sustainable waste management policy. We are committed to mainstream our practices in the entire Zanzibar archipelago and actively educate and encourage communities, our guests, suppliers and other tourism stakeholders to take action to positively impact our value chain and the destination at a whole. Being a signatory of this important global initiative is crucial for us to raise awareness at large of the responsibility we have within the tourism industry to address this issue.”

Sibylle Riedmiller, director

Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

Developed within the framework of the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet network, a multi-stakeholder partnership to implement SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organisation, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative acts as the tourism sector interface of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, which unites more than 450 businesses, governments, and other organisations behind a common vision and targets to address plastic waste and pollution at its source. As such, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative will implement the New Plastics Economy vision, framework and definitions to mobilise the global tourism industry towards concerted significant action against plastic pollution.

The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative aims to stop plastic ending up as pollution while also reducing the amount of new plastic that needs to be produced. To realise this vision, tourism companies destinations commit to eliminate the plastic items they don’t need; innovate so all plastics they do need are designed to be safely reused, recycled, or composted; and circulate everything they use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment.

By transitioning to circularity in the use of plastics, the tourism sector can make positive contributions like reducing landfill, pollution, natural resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions; raising awareness of conservation among staff and guests to avoid single-use plastic products; influencing their suppliers to produce more sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic products; working with governments to improve local waste infrastructure and community facilities; and creating sustainable livelihoods and long-term community prosperity in harmony with nature.

By taking serious action in a coordinated and determined manner on plastic pollution, the tourism sector can help preserve and protect the places and wildlife that make destinations worth visiting.

Read more about the One Planet Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

Interested to find out about our recent scientific beach cleans to monitor pollution entering our marine park read more here.