Plastic-free vacation, Balearic Islands

Project goals

Tourism: both polluter and victim

According to estimates, around 80% of the waste found in the sea is plastic waste. The Mediterranean is one of the most affected marine regions. In addition to environmental problems, the waste also causes economic risks, including for tourism in coastal regions, which suffers from polluted beaches.

The tourism industry is not only affected by the effects of the high volume of plastic, but also contributes to the generation of plastic waste itself. In hotels, for example, many products for use in the kitchen or housekeeping are purchased in plastic packaging. Guests are offered disposable packaging such as plastic drinking cups or straws during their vacation. Furthermore, many holidaymakers use disposable packaging such as plastic bottles or bags on excursions.

UNEP estimates that tourism in coastal regions is the largest source of plastic waste in the oceans alongside fishing, construction and households. An EU study also shows that 40-50% of waste items in the Mediterranean originate from tourism.

Up to 13 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans worldwide every year. Experts estimate that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans.

Futouris members want to reduce plastic consumption beyond legal regulations

In January 2018, the EU Commission defined a European strategy for the future handling of plastic for the first time. The plans include reducing the consumption of single-use plastics and limiting the use of microplastics.

The government of the Balearic Islands has also set ambitious targets with the new waste law "Ley de residuos y suelos contaminados". The amount of plastic waste is to be reduced by 10% by 2021 (compared to the 2010 baseline) and by 20% by 2030. Among other things, the draft law provides for a ban on the use of single-use plastic products (e.g. plastic straws, cutlery and crockery) in the catering industry.

The members of the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. want to go beyond these legal requirements and work together with the government of the Balearic Islands and local organizations such as Fundación Save the Med to significantly reduce the plastic waste generated by tourism on the Balearic Islands and increase the recycling rate.

The following activities are planned

• Baseline study to identify the status quo and possible potential in 10 pilot hotels

• Presentation and further development of the results in a stakeholder workshop

• Development and implementation of innovative measures to reduce single-use plastic products together with the participating hotels, local partners, representatives of tour operators and the Mallorcan waste management industry

• Design of a guide with concrete recommendations for action, best practice examples, tips and suggestions for plastic-free alternatives to common plastic products