Plastic is a huge problem and our landfills and oceans have reached the limit of what they can handle. Individuals are doing their small part by recycling, but what about the corporations that could make a big impact on use of plastic? For the travel industry, companies decided to cut back.

The hospitality industry is working on using less single-use plastics, such as plastic straws, cups, bottles and laundry bags. Hilton is eliminating plastic straws by the end of the year, as well as doing away with plastic bottles used at conferences. Hilton already made an impact in China and Mongolia by eliminating 13 million plastic bottles annually with its initiatives. In Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, they eliminated 2.5 million plastic straws annually.

Alaska Airlines and Carnival Cruise Line are also working to lessen the amount of plastic straws guests use. When big companies such as these commit to change it affects the planet in a major way. Some of these initiatives have been boosted by documentaries such as the popular A Plastic Ocean, which Hilton offers as a viewing option in China. The trend to reduce plastic has become more popular as companies work to eliminate all single-use plastic.