Six Senses believes in taking guests beyond destinations and into new experiences and cultures in order to feel purpose behind their travels. In the past couple years, Six Senses focused on a new appreciation, finding exploration and escape go hand in hand when thinking about the impact travel has on the environment and local communities.

As a leader in sustainability practices in the hospitality industry, Six Senses maintains its goal toward plastic freedom and commits to weaving long-term positive change into each property.

Following its pledge as a founding signatory of the Global Tourism Plastic Initiative in 2019, the brand’s efforts to eliminate single-use plastics remains on track. The properties have eliminated its “18 Most Unwanted” items, including guest amenities and materials such as coffee pods and fruit packaging. The plan also entails using plastic-free products, arranging packaging take-back, bottling drinking water on property, and sharing best practices.

In 2021, Six Senses was the first hospitality brand to collaborate with the United States Coalition on Sustainability and SustainChain as part of a Plastic Free 2022 strategy to remove and avoid all plastic materials from the hotel and spa operations.

By the end of this month, Six Senses seeks to:

• Eliminate all unnecessary plastic packaging of bathroom amenities, room amenities and retail spaces
• Introduce more reusable solutions in the kitchen to replace cling film and plastic packages of fresh products
• Source naturally compostable packing and other materials where appropriate by engaging with suppliers
• Work with other hotels and industry partners to share best practices, supplier recommendations and other information to stay away from plastic
• Eliminate more than 1.5 million plastic bottles each year by bottling their own drinking water in reusable glass bottles
• Use natural materials to substitute everything plastic, from plastic straws to toothbrushes, crates, cloth bags, bottles and containers.

“When the world woke up to plastic straws, we realized we need to go much further to continue to lead on sustainability in the hospitality industry, so back in 2017, we set the audacious goal of eliminating all unnecessary plastics,” said Jeff Smith, vice president of sustainability, Six Senses. “This journey began with an inventory of all remaining plastics, once straws and bottles had been eliminated, and now continues with supplier engagement, seeking natural materials, and adopting circular solutions. Our solution to plastic waste is to avoid it before it happens.”