The major French hotel chain Accor has announced it will eliminate all single-use plastic items offered in its hotels by the end of 2022.

Accor, known as a global hotel chain with brands such as Raffles, Sofitel, Novotel, and Ibis, has joined the "Global Tourism Plastics Initiative," led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Environment Organization, to phase out all single-use plastics.

Accor hosts over 120 million guests annually and serves more than 200 million meals. For the past 25 years, the group has been implementing programs to enhance sustainability. In addition to its ongoing efforts, this new declaration will see the removal of plastic toiletries and cups by the end of 2020, with the remaining single-use plastic items to be phased out by the end of 2022.

Specifically, items such as single-use water bottles, cups, laundry bags, and key cards will be replaced with alternative materials on a per-item basis.

The Accor Group views this initiative as a significant step towards improving plastic pollution. Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We believe that now is the time to pay attention to what is happening on our planet and to act with a strong sense of social responsibility and conviction."