Balearic government and tourism industry cooperate for islands without plastic waste

Industry project against plastic pollution

Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans worldwide. According to estimates, 80% of marine litter consists of plastic. The Mediterranean is one of the most affected marine regions. These are alarming figures, which prompted the members of Futouris to decide to take active action against plastic pollution in their joint industry project. They have joined forces with the government of the Balearic Islands and the local Fundacion Save the Med to develop joint goals and measures. These were set out in a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed today at ITB.

Last year, the Balearic government took groundbreaking measures to reduce plastic pollution by passing the waste law. The aim is to reduce the amount of plastic waste on the islands by 10% by 2021 and 20% by 2030.

"We are delighted to be working with Futouris. Environmental protection is a top priority for the Balearic Government, and the laws already passed on climate protection and the waste law are pioneering measures in this regard. The cooperation with the members of Futouris enables us to put our goals into practice and we hope to get the entire sector on board in the medium term. Our landscapes, our nature and, of course, our Mediterranean are the Balearic Islands' flagship and we must do everything we can to protect and preserve them together," explained Isabel Busquets, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism of the Balearic Islands.

Goals and measures of the project

The cooperation partners have agreed to significantly reduce the plastic waste generated by tourism over the next three years and to increase the recycling rate. To this end, several actions have been agreed.

• The quantities of plastic waste in partner hotels of Futouris members are measured and analyzed in order to identify potential for reduction.

• Hotels are supported in implementing the requirements formulated in the Waste Act promptly and on a broad basis. This means that some plastic products can be completely eliminated from hotel operations, while others can be replaced with more sustainable alternatives. Plastic waste that cannot yet be substituted is consistently recycled.

• Hotels, cruise companies, local businesses, municipalities and the waste management industry are networked in order to jointly develop innovative solutions to combat the plastic problem.

An important part of the initiative will be the training and active involvement of hotel employees. Holidaymakers are also to be made aware of their own contribution to reducing plastic waste as part of the project.

Achieving more together

To implement the project, the partners are working with the local Fundacion Save the Med, which has set itself the goal of preserving the biodiversity of the Balearic Sea in collaboration with the local population. The organization launched an initiative back in 2018 to reduce the use of single-use plastic items in companies in various sectors on the Balearic Islands, including the hotel industry.

The travel industry is increasingly concerned about the growing volume of plastic waste worldwide. The Futouris industry project is the first time that a major vacation destination and the most important players in the German tourism industry have actively committed to achieving a clearly visible reduction in plastic waste for residents and holidaymakers.