Chinese hotels shoulder more responsibility to protect Earth: report

SHANGHAI -- Chinese hotels have shouldered more responsibility for the sustainable development of society by strengthening epidemic containment, lowering food waste and cutting plastic usage, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report was based on a survey conducted by Trip.com Group and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) across 525 hotels located in nearly 100 cities in China under home and abroad brands.

All respondents have trained employees to protect the environment and combat the COVID-19 epidemic, over 90 percent kept daily disinfection in public areas and provide free disinfection liquids, over 60 percent implemented air-purification equipment and nearly 10 percent used robots to deliver materials instead of staff.

The majority of the respondents have taken measures to lower food waste, with 50 percent designating special positions to monitor the waste. In addition, 90 percent took to strict purchasing budgets and employee training.

Ninety percent of the respondents have taken measures to cut plastic usage. Of them, nearly 50 percent stopped offering disposable toiletry kits unless required, rolled out plans to recycle plastic products and launched campaigns among clients to call for cutting plastic usage, according to the report.

Trip.com Group, teamed with WWF, proposed better treatment for the Earth, including better monitoring of the hygiene and air quality in hotels, refusing bush meat, lowering 50 percent of the current food waste amount by 2030 and cutting all disposable plastic products unless necessary by 2025.