BOSTON, April 24, 2024 – What do the world’s largest hotel chain, an entertainment giant and a big box retailer all have in common? Each recently committed to reducing single-use plastic after signing agreements with Green Century°.
Green Century used its position as shareholders to win plastic agreements from Costco*, Disney*, Marriott*, Hilton*, Mattel*, Hasbro*, and Choice Hotels* – and we are not stopping there. So how does Green Century do it?
Understand the problem
Plastic pollution is growing explosively, and recycling has failed to make a dent in ocean plastic pollution.
Promote a good solution
Companies, not customers, are behind the rise in wasteful plastic. Companies need to disclose the amount of plastic they use, and then reduce and replace unnecessary plastic with tested alternatives like refillable bottles and packaging.
Spotlight on disclosure
Have you ever tried to cut something in the dark? It is clearly not the best idea, and at worst it can be dangerous. The same is true for cutting plastic use. Without clear information on how much and what kind of plastic companies are producing, we are all in the dark.
Get to Work
Green Century’s award-winning shareholder advocacy team meets directly with companies to convince them that sustainability isn’t just important for the planet, but important for business. In the past 6 months, we have secured the following changes in corporate plastic policy including at:
Costco: The world’s third largest retailer committed to disclose the plastic footprint of its Kirkland Brand products and create a 5-year plastic action plan.
Disney: The entertainment giant with multiple theme parks, cruises and hotels worldwide agreed to disclose its plastic footprint and make additional reduction commitments.
Marriott: The world’s largest hotel group with over 1.5 million rooms worldwide will disclose its plastic footprint and make additional reduction pledges.
Choice Hotels: The parent company of Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge committed to disclose its plastic footprint and make additional plastic reductions.
Mattel: Toymaker famous for Barbie and Ken will disclose its single-use plastic footprint with CDP, the gold standard in environmental reporting.
Hasbro: The toy company behind Transformers, Peppa Pig and G.I. Joe. will disclose its single-use plastic footprint.
Hilton: The third largest hotel brand in the world agreed to disclose its plastic footprint and make additional reduction pledges.
Green Century’s work to stop plastic pollution is one issue among many where Green Century advocates are making an impact. We’ve also won commitments from companies to protect biodiversity, address climate warming emissions, reduce e-waste and more.