Beyond Plastic-Free July

This month, social media and sustainability publications have been abuzz with plastic-free July tips, tricks, successes, and challenges. An initiative spanning 190 countries, participants pledge to refuse single-use plastic bags, bottles, wraps, and other disposables.

But what should we do when July draws to a close, the zeitgeist shifts to the next topic in the news cycle, and the novelty of going plastic-free wanes? One month of sustainable choices isn’t enough to correct the damage done by disposable plastics and the resulting microplastics— though it’s a great start. Here are additional steps we can take to continuously reduce plastic & energy waste and live more sustainably in our travels, work, and homes. 

T r a v e l

1.     Choose Eco-Friendly Travel Destinations
Choosing destinations off the beaten path helps avoid contributing to over-tourism. 

2.     Bring a Reusable Water Bottle, Water Filter, and Reusable Bag
The less waste we generate while traveling or at our destination, the less of an impact our travels have on the environment. 

3.     Stay in Sustainable Hotels
Choose hotels, resorts, and inns that have committed to being sustainable and responsible for their local communities. Stay tuned for a map of luxury hotels & resorts using our compostable, cruelty-free paper Papyrus solutions in their bathrooms, coming soon!
Choose places within LEED-certified buildings whenever possible. Hotels should also be committed to reducing water and electricity waste. Keep an eye out for our upcoming blog post about how to select a sustainable hotel for your travels to learn more!

4.     Spend an Afternoon Volunteering or Picking up Trash

Consider setting aside a morning or afternoon volunteering with a local charity at your destination, and help leave the world a better place than you found it while also giving back.

5.     Dine-In to Reduce Takeout Containers 
Reduce plastic waste by dining in instead of taking plastic to-go containers, which will inevitably end up in a landfill. Bamboo cutlery is an easy-to-carry alternative to plastic utensils. If you can’t avoid plastic take-away containers, consider washing them and using them as plant pots or storage containers inside a drawer, garage, or craft room to give them new life. 

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

W o r k

1.     Use Reusable Dishes, Cutlery, and Napkins Instead of Disposables
Say goodbye to single-use plastic coffee pods, plastic water cups, and plastic utensils. Instead, bring your mug, cutlery, and napkin from home. Wash and store in a clean place. It’s that simple!

2.     Turn on Energy-Efficiency Settings on Work Electronics
Most phones, laptops, and desktops come equipped with energy-saving features that help reduce electricity usage.

3.     Car Pool or Take Public Transit When Possible
A great way to get more involved in your community is to use public transit or carpooling with colleagues. Both reduce pollution, energy demands, and traffic. 

4.     Say No to AI
Each AI query is akin to dumping out two bottles of clean drinking water, thanks to the massive cooling requirements of the data centers that process these requests. Did you know that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted because it’s not considered a real creation? That means competitors can use the same imagery or content you generate via AI and use it as their own! Support human creativity and stand out from the crowd by outsourcing to talented creatives, rather than relying on AI. 

5.     Encourage & Educate Higher-Ups or Office Managers to Make Responsible, Eco-Friendly Business Decisions
Ask them to make greener buying decisions, such as opting for recycled or compostable paper products & office supplies, low-energy LED bulbs, vegetarian or vegan caterers, and sourcing locally whenever possible to reduce their carbon footprint. 

H o m e

 Many of the above also apply at home. As light bulbs burn out, replace them with LED bulbs, which last a decade or longer. Switch from disposable paper towels and napkins to washable cloth napkins. Instead of throwing out broken or damaged clothing, furniture, or electronics, learn to repair them using community resources or YouTube tutorials. 

Sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) to enjoy fresh, locally-grown produce from growers in your community. Compost kitchen scraps and reintegrate the resulting compost into flower beds, gardens, and dry patches of lawn for more vibrant growth. Minimize food waste by eating at home more often, and then store leftovers in glass storage containers with bamboo lids. When landscaping and gardening, select native plants that are well-suited to the local climate and require minimal watering or special care.

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The Downside of Bulk Dispensers: A Deep Dive into Sustainability and Luxury Concerns

The Downside of Bulk Dispensers: A Deep Dive into Sustainability and Luxury Concerns

In recent years, the hospitality industry has seen a shift towards sustainability, with many hotels adopting bulk dispensers for amenities such as shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste. While this move is undoubtedly well-intentioned, aiming to curtail the environmental impact of plastic pollution, it presents a suite of challenges and drawbacks that often go unaddressed. These issues not only affect the guest experience but also pose broader environmental and operational concerns.

Compromised Guest Experience

One of the most immediate and noticeable drawbacks of bulk dispensers is their impact on the guest experience. Luxury and personalization are cornerstone values of high-end hospitality, and bulk dispensers, by their very nature, detract from this. Sharing a dispenser with unknown numbers of previous guests does not convey the sense of individual care and luxury that small, single-use amenities do. There's a tangible loss of the personal touch, leading guests to question the hygiene and exclusivity of their experience.

Hygiene and Safety Concerns

The hygiene aspect of bulk dispensers is a significant concern. Despite regular maintenance, the risk of contamination is higher with communal use. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness around hygiene practices, making guests more cautious about touching surfaces that have been used by others. This has led to a renewed scrutiny of bulk dispensers, with guests and health experts alike questioning their safety and cleanliness.

The Cost of Bulk

For hotel owners, the commitment to bulk dispensers in guest rooms, while well-intentioned towards sustainability, incurs notable operational costs and impacts staff productivity. On average, maintaining these dispensers demands about 5-7 minutes of a maid's time per room. In a scenario where a hotel boasts 100 rooms, and maids are compensated at $20 per hour, the financial implications become evident. This routine upkeep, calculated at an average of 6 minutes per maintenance task, translates to approximately 600 minutes—or 10 hours—for every 100 rooms serviced daily. Over the course of a year, this adds up to an astounding 3,650 hours spent on dispenser maintenance alone, equating to an annual expense exceeding $73,000 in wages.

These hours represent a significant portion of a maid's workday that could otherwise be allocated towards enhancing room cleanliness and guest satisfaction—core aspects of the hospitality experience. By opting for single-use solutions, such as eco-friendly paper vials, hotels can not only streamline operational efficiency but also reallocate valuable staff time towards tasks that directly impact guest perception and room quality, all while maintaining a commitment to environmental stewardship.

Environmental Impact Questioned

While bulk dispensers are championed for reducing plastic waste, their environmental benefit is not as straightforward as it seems. The life cycle of a bulk dispenser, from production and operation to maintenance and eventual disposal, carries its own environmental footprint. Furthermore, the refilling process often requires plastic refill packs, which still contribute to plastic waste. This complexity raises questions about whether the shift to bulk dispensers achieves its intended environmental goals or merely shifts the burden of waste.

Operational Challenges

From an operational perspective, bulk dispensers present several challenges for hotel staff. Regular checks and refills are necessary to ensure dispensers are functional and adequately stocked, requiring significant labor investment. Additionally, the risk of tampering or vandalism necessitates a level of vigilance that would not be required with individual amenities. These factors can increase operational costs and complexity, detracting from the perceived efficiency of bulk dispensers.

The Eco-Friendly Paper Vial Alternative

In response to these challenges, the industry is seeing innovative solutions like eco-friendly paper vials for single-use amenities. These paper vials offer a sustainable alternative that aligns with environmental goals without compromising on luxury or guest safety. Made from biodegradable and recyclable materials, paper vials reduce plastic waste and offer a new level of hygiene and personalization. Each guest is assured a fresh, untouched product, reinstating the luxury of individual care in an eco-conscious format.

Conclusion

While the intent behind bulk dispensers is commendable, the hospitality industry must carefully weigh their impacts on luxury, hygiene, environmental sustainability, and operational efficiency. As the sector evolves, alternatives like eco-friendly paper vials present a promising path forward, offering a balance between sustainability and the high standards of guest experience that luxury hotels strive to uphold. In the journey towards greener practices, it's crucial that solutions enhance rather than compromise the hallmarks of luxury hospitality.

Confronting Plastic Waste in Hospitality: Papyrus’s Revolutionary Recycled Paper Vial.

In the world of hospitality, where luxury meets necessity, the hidden cost of convenience is often overlooked. The industry, a beacon of comfort and indulgence, finds itself at a crossroads with an environmental quandary—plastic waste. Each year, millions of single-use plastic bottles for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion contribute significantly to global plastic pollution, a pressing issue that demands immediate action. As society grapples with the implications of plastic waste, one innovator, Papyrus by Hyperion Essentials, is stepping forward with a groundbreaking solution: recycled paper vials for single-use amenities.

The Plastic Predicament

The hospitality industry's reliance on plastic amenities is a reflection of our broader dependency on plastics. Convenient, cheap, and versatile, plastic bottles have long been the standard for guest amenities. However, this convenience comes at a substantial environmental cost. Plastics take hundreds of years to degrade, polluting our oceans, harming marine life, and entering the food chain. The need for sustainable alternatives has never been more urgent, with consumers increasingly favoring eco-conscious choices and legislation pushing for a reduction in plastic use.

A Sustainable Shift

Enter Papyrus, a pioneer in eco-luxury, reimagining the future of hotel amenities. Papyrus's recycled paper vials are a testament to innovation and environmental stewardship, offering a viable and luxurious alternative to their plastic predecessors. Crafted from recycled paper, these vials are fully biodegradable, breaking down harmlessly in a fraction of the time it takes for plastic bottles to degrade, thus offering a solution that aligns with both the luxury experience guests expect and the global shift towards sustainability.

The Papyrus Promise

The Papyrus solution is not merely about replacing one material with another; it's about transforming the hospitality industry's approach to amenities. These recycled paper vials provide hotels with the opportunity to significantly reduce their environmental footprint while enhancing the guest experience. The vials are designed with elegance and functionality in mind, ensuring that the transition to sustainable practices does not compromise the quality or aesthetic that guests associate with luxury hospitality.

Moreover, Papyrus's commitment extends beyond the product itself. The brand embodies a philosophy of sustainability, encouraging hotels to rethink their operational practices and embrace eco-friendly innovations. By choosing Papyrus, hotels signal to guests their commitment to environmental responsibility and to providing a luxury experience that is both mindful and memorable.

Looking Forward

The challenge of plastic waste in hospitality is monumental, but it is not insurmountable. Solutions like Papyrus's recycled paper vials represent a significant step forward in the industry's journey towards sustainability. As more hotels adopt these eco-luxury alternatives, the vision of a plastic-free future becomes increasingly attainable.

The road ahead requires collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to the planet. Papyrus is leading by example, showing that luxury and sustainability can coexist. It's time for the hospitality industry to rise to the occasion, embracing solutions that safeguard our environment while upholding the standards of luxury and comfort that define the guest experience. The future is eco-luxury, and it is undeniably promising.