Plastic pollution is a growing problem in New Zealand. Stray plastics when thrown away, never go away. Projections have shown that with current population trends and without intervention the annual amount of waste disposed to landfills will almost double within ten years in Auckland alone.

Sudima Hotels aim to establish industry benchmarks on single-use plastics by working with our suppliers to source alternative packaging options and reduce waste from items such as: bottled water by installing filters with hot, cold and sparkling water in all bar areas; and removing other items such as plastic stirrers, water cups and plastic wrapping.

In a first step towards their single-use plastic free 2020 goal, we recently became the first group of hotels in New Zealand to discontinue using plastic straws – eliminating an estimated 52,000 straws each year from going to landfill, which is the equivalent of 38 times the height of Auckland’s Sky Tower. We now offer paper straws for guests on request.

Vedika Jhunjhnuwala, recently appointed as Environment and Social Advocate for Sudima Hotels has grown up in the hospitality sector and is passionate about ensuring the industry puts people and the environment first in its business operations. “Imagine what our world would be like if we all chose to reduce or ban single-use plastics. At Sudima Hotels, we abide by the philosophy of leaving the world in a better position than we found it and aim to apply this to the operation of our hotels so it’s only natural that we set this goal for ourselves”.

“Our journey is not just about Sudima. We are calling on the industry to collaborate with us and work together. We are keen to establish what the industry benchmark looks like for reducing or eliminating single-use plastics. It can be overwhelming when thinking about making a big change like this one, but by setting a target and making small changes every day, we hope to set an example so that other organisations will follow suit.”

Sudima Hotel Christchurch City which will open in 2019 (pictured above) will offer 88 self-contained Studios and Suites including: 80 studios, 6 one bedroom suites and 2 penthouse suites with private terraces. The hotel will feature fully accessible rooms and public areas with wheelchair access. Other facilities will include an on-site restaurant, day spa and a modern styled laneway.

Click here to view the Sudima Hotels website.

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