‌🍃‌[FESTIVAL] Considering your packaging‌🍃‌

[Felicity11]

The Ups and Downs of Sustainability 

With Felicity Stevens Australia 🇦🇺 and Jennifer Schnier @Jennifer3225 🇨🇦(HAB 2022-2023)

“Decisions can be made at the store as to what packaging you choose to bring into your listing. We promise your guests will notice.”

Considering your packaging

Highlights

• Hosts can decide right at the store what products are brought into the listing.
• When a decision between plastic or non plastic can be made, an environmental decision happens immediately.
• Purchasing one container and refilling is not only trendy, but it is fiscally sound. 

Single Use Plastics 

Single use Amenities have had their day and it is now time to ditch these from your listings.  This trend has been growing in popularity over the years and is fast becoming a mainstream practice.  As the awareness of single use plastic waste continues to grow our appetite to use it has diminished.  This used to be thought of as a cheap practice by many but with more and more premium brands realizing that customers want refill options the range of providers in the marketplace mean there is a price point for everyone.  You will also see refill amenities have fast become standard practice in many five star hotels.   It is often small thoughtful touches like this that guests love and appreciate that you have taken the time to help reduce the waste from single use amenities during their stay with you. 

There are different ways to move away from single use amenities and there are now many options in the marketplace to suit everyone's budget and time.   Some companies will offer you strong containers for day to day use that you can top up with refill pouches or you may have a local bulk food store that you can go to for refill top ups. There are also companies that will offer you a direct product swap so you can swap out an empty container for a new full one. Other companies offer you concentrated tablets that you can mix up when needed. Lots of great options to choose from. 

Some of the amenities that you may choose to refill for your listing are:

• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Body wash
• Dish washing liquid
• Hand washing liquid
• Laundry liquid
• Dishwashing powder/tablets
• Cleaning products
• Salt and Pepper
• Cooking oil
• Coffee pods
• Tea - loose leaf
• If you need to order products try and order bulk so you save on postage and transport emissions 
• Some refill options now operate based on a container swap or returning pouches for refilling. 

Thoughts from Up North 🇨🇦 

This is where a host can really shine in their sustainable efforts. You have complete control over the types of products you bring into your home, and even more control over what you purchase. 

In Canada, single use plastics are everywhere, but there are also companies that are making tremendous strides to provide recyclable and compostable containers. 

Anecdotal note. Smarties have hit this out of the ballpark, and a great little gift for a snack basket, Halloween or Easter. Way to go Nestle with your sustainable cocoa, and compostable packaging. 

Thoughts from Down Under🇦🇺

When you set up your home we make many decisions that can go on to make an impact on a guest's stay.  Think through the items you choose to add to your listing and the impact this may have on the guest and the environment.

• Coffee machine - think about the waste that is created, can the coffee grains be easily composted or can the coffee pod be recycled, or can you source coffee pods locally?
• Rubbish bin liners - are they compostable?
• Do you leave out single serve items of sugar or salt and pepper
• Bars of soap - are these in single use plastic packaging?  

Airbnb hosts can also get on board with this. What to look out for - nasty chemicals and actual refillable packaging or in person refill stores or swap stores/brands, even things like cooking oil from a metal container - metal can be recycled?  What dispensers do you use in the shower or in the kitchen and laundry? 

• Reduce waste, save money and attract sustainable Guests!!
• What items do you refill?
• How do you manage the refill process? 
• Swap and go? Keeping stock ready for refill, 

Tips for guests:

• Label containers so guests know not to throw things out.
• Add a message to your welcome message and check out message - We use refillable containers please help us by not throwing these out and let us know if any items need refilling during your stay.  Thank you for helping us reduce waste and not throwing out any reuse containers.” 

Tips to manage the refill process:

• Keep an extra set of containers refilled ready to swap over
• Remind guests in your check in and check out messages that you use refill containers and to let you know if anything needs refilling and please do not throw these out.
• You may like to get sticky labels printed to add to containers to remind guests not to throw out refillable containers.
• Work with your housekeeping team and ask if they are happy to refill containers after each guest and what you can do to make the process easy for them.
• Keep a good supply of refill products at hand so you can easily refill containers when needed and not need to duck to the shops to top up. 

What do we want to know from you?

1.  What are some of the brands you use?  
2.  Do you have a bulk foods/ refill store near you?
3. What items do you refill?
4. How do you manage the refill process?

Let us know! Join the conversation.

[Quincy]

Such a great topic @Felicity11 @Jennifer3225 with lots of helpful information and tips! 💡Thank you so much for sharing 🌱

[Felicity11]

Thanks Qunicy - Looking forward to hearing from other members about how they reduce waste in their listing and if they use refill containers?

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Felicity11 ,

I really liked reading about this topic and it truly does affect us all. I realize how mindful we need to be with the products we use. Thank you for posting these suggestions so simply. I’m looking forward to seeing changes like these in our listings.

Many thanks,
Catherine

[Felicity11]

Hi @Catherine-Powell 

Thank you for your support on all things sustainable!  

Many consumers are becoming more and more aware of the waste they create and realise that we need to reduce our consumption, reuse where we can and refill as many things as we can.  In many parts of the world effective recycling is not an option so reducing and refilling is the best option.  

These days there are many options available from buying in bulk, to refill and return options, to mixing up concentrated tablets and even swap and go containers there is an option to suit! 

With 6 million hosts on Airbnb even if 1% started refilling containers in their homes,  that would be a lot of waste diverted from landfill or the recycling bin! Every bit counts!

It is a small but tangible option for both guests and host to be a part of to reduce waste and emissions.  

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Felicity11 ,

Every little bit counts and I couldn't agree more. It is important to continue spreading awareness and encouraging others to make sustainable choices.

Regards,
Catherine

[Delphine348]

Hi @Felicity11 and @Jennifer3225 ,

Thank you for spreading the word about sustainable practices in hosting ! 

Since the beginning I tried to think about sustainability, living in the countryside helps maybe.

- In addition to the refillable bottles, because our tapwater is clean, I have water carafes and I added sodastream machines (to do sparkling water). It helps guests to reduce their plastic emission during their stay. The result is spectacular, I have very few plastic bottles in the recycling container now. 

- The product I purchase are biological and/or EcoCert (French label following 14 out of the 17 UNO sustainable development goals), we can find more and more of them in our shops. It includes toilet paper, all washing and hygienic products, compostable coffee doses...

- I have no paper towels of course, but tea towels. 

- There is a compost in the garden and a little compost box in the kitchen to help guests to think about sorting their wastes. Soon I hope to add chicken in our garden and encourage guests by giving them eggs in exchange for the compost effort! 

- In my local information guide, I have the following themes : shop local, entertain local, local activities to discover and I try to keep it up to date with the help of our tourism office and departemental tourism bureau.

- in my house rules I added my environnemental chart (no other free space in the listing informations) - I realized that it is not a translated space though.

- the garden is free of chemical products, and I don't water it. I only water a line of roses and flowers in the yard.

- We chose a phyto epuration system for the wastewater management because we don't have a public service and need to manage our wastewaters individually. Like this the water goes back to the soil after cleaning. Very efficient system and beautiful square of reeds in the garden.

- of course, led lamps everywhere, and in the hallways lights work with presence detectors, faucets with flow reductors, remote control for heating, no Air conditionning devices...

I would love to have solar panels, it is forbidden for all buildings in the close area around our middle age church. I chose my electricity supplier because he purchase a part of it from renewable sources.

We are still waiting for a soft mobility solution on Sundays. We have a "On demand transportation" service everyday but Sunday and it's a pity since there is many listings around Fontainebleau that would use it. 

[Felicity11]

HI @Delphine348 

Wonderfull to get hear about all the incredible sustainable things that you do in your listing.   You have set up so many incredible initiatives to help guests stay and reduce emissions and waste and have found some incredible suppliers who are also aligned. 

I love hearing about the innovative ways that you keep your garden growing with the water you have and how carefully you use it.   Do your guests ever comment to you about these initiatives? 

How interesting to hear Solar being forbidden in your part of the village but wonderful to hear that you have the option to buy from a energy provider who sources from renewables. 

Wonderful to get your comments and feedback! 

[Delphine348]

Thank you @Felicity11 ,  coming from a sustainability champion, it touches me !

This year, because I have integrated my environnemental chart in the house rules part, I had my first review mentioning my efforts.

And my first group of women that chose my listing for this purpose.

They were so great !

We talked a lot at check in and check out, I was thrilled.

They left zero waste and even took care of not using all the bathrooms available in order to save water and cleaning after their stay. A dream come true.

In France, hotels start to display an environnemental badge with a letter from A to F I think. This measurement is done by our national environnemental agency (ADEME) and can also be used in our listings (word is that it will soon be mandatory). This label examines our ressources consumption in various aspects. -> My next goal !

By the way, I forgot to mention that thanks to another host on French CC, I discover that we can collect and recycle cork from wine or other bottles, so I added a box for it and plastic caps in my listing. 

[Louise782]

Great article ladies!

I buy bulk from this company in vats like this. No kick backs I promise. I have vats of dishwashing powder, body wash, floor cleaner and hand soap. You need a good place in a property to store. 

Sustainable game chargers! 

[Felicity11]

Thanks for sharing this with us @Louise782   There are so many different refill options in the market place for hosts to be able to access and often a great way to support local businesses.   Many brands are seeing the increase in demand for refill amenities and are now starting to add this to there range of products.  We can help drive this change by supporting them. 

With more and more hotels using refill options I hope more hosts will feel confident looking into a refill option that will work for them.

This is a photo from a bathroom in a very nice 5 star hotel in Sydney.  The containers are all refilled and swapped over by a housekeeping team. The metal bracket that holds the containers can be locked off so large containers do not go for a walk!  

Refillable containers in 5 star hotel Sydney

[Delphine348]

Hi @Felicity11 ,

I was also happy to see that various items in our room in our Hotel in Singapore were either refillable, either non plastic or chemical fabrics and that they displayed their environnemental commitment (further than just save the towels) and started a reward program based on guest sustainable engagement with them.

It gave me hope ! 

[Laurelle3]

@Felicity11 and @Jennifer3225. I must say you have both been busy writing up in tandem for the topic of Sustainability

 Thank you to you both

Buy in bulk is a good idea I  learnt a lesson by reusing a sauce bottle which had been washed and refilled but was unaware of the use by date was still on the bottle and was sent a private message by a guest. I always double check now.

I have a concern of leaving too much of loose products in jars such as sugar and coffee because of cross contamination of the previous guest using the product. Covid cleanliness has highlited this along with my nursing background. 

Yes I agree with you both at looking at the packaging of the goods we buy. 

Thanks again for all your suggestions.