Sustainable Opportunities in Tourism
Plastic waste strains ecosystems worldwide – but sustainable initiatives are effectively tackling the problem.
Plastic waste: a global problem
Plastic is everywhere in daily life – packaging, disposable cups, cosmetics. As end consumers, it is almost impossible to avoid producing plastic waste. Even more alarming is that only about 14% of all plastic is recycled globally. A large portion ends up in illegal dumps or directly in the environment, polluting rivers and oceans and reaching even the most remote places as microplastics.
Every year, over 19 million tons of plastic waste enter our waters and oceans. And plastic is persistent – it only slowly breaks down into microplastics, which can remain detectable in the environment for hundreds of years. Plastic waste and microplastics not only pose a threat to ecosystems but also affect humans directly. Research from early February 2025 shows microplastic deposits in human organs, focusing on the liver, kidneys, and brain. Alarmingly, microplastics were found in all examined organs, with unclear implications for human health.
Waste in tourism
Tourism, a sector with a high ecological footprint, urgently needs new ways to implement sustainable travel. Worldwide, tourist activities generate over 35 million tons of solid waste each year. On average, 1 kg of waste is produced per guest per night in hotels. At the same time, a study by the Institute for Management and Economic Research shows that travelers’ environmental awareness has grown significantly: for 35% of Germans, sustainability is a decisive factor when choosing accommodation, rising to 40% among 18- to 34-year-olds. This makes it clear: sustainable offerings are no longer a “nice-to-have” but an expectation, especially for the younger generation.
A closer look at hotel room cleaning shows that offering guests the option to skip daily cleaning saves an average of €15 per uncleaned room. Studies show that such programs reduce the cleaning rate to only 32%. This means two-thirds of cleanings are eliminated, along with the associated consumption of cleaning products, energy, and water.
SuitePad: Environmental protection on the tablet
SuitePad is redefining the guest experience in hotels. Its tablets provide a digital solution for modernizing guest services: they allow guests to conveniently access hotel information, service offerings, and communication channels with hotel staff.
In addition to diverse service offerings, SuitePad actively integrates sustainability into its concept through the Green Option. Guests with multi-day stays can book this option directly via the tablet, encouraging them to skip daily room cleaning. In this way, guests are immediately involved in environmental protection and experience sustainability firsthand. Skipping daily cleaning not only has positive ecological effects but also leads to significant savings in electricity, water, and cleaning products. A hotel with around 150 rooms can save approximately 270,000 liters of water and 1,800 liters of detergent annually.
Protecting the environment with Plastic Credits
Hotels can make a direct impact by partnering with everwave. Through everwave’s Plastic Credit system, hotels can link their sustainable initiatives directly to collected waste. For every Plastic Credit, everwave removes one kilogram of waste from rivers and waterways worldwide. This allows the impact to be tracked transparently and measurably.
The effectiveness of Plastic Credits is evident in practice: ULRICHSHOF, one of Germany’s leading nature and wellness family hotels, consistently links its sustainability strategy with guest engagement. Guests who voluntarily forgo disposable slippers contribute to environmental protection: for each conscious decision to skip this convenience item, one kilogram of waste is removed from rivers and waterways in partnership with everwave. This creates tangible, collective impact, actively involving guests in environmental protection.
Integrating sustainability into the guest experience
Practice shows that hotels involving guests in sustainability initiatives can generate real impact while also fostering guest loyalty through positive experiences. This can be achieved via everwave and Plastic Credits or through SuitePad’s Green Option.
