In the European Union countries, an estimated 2.5 million people are homeless over the course of a year. In 2014, 125 million European citizens (25%) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. People with inadequate housing often don’t have access to basic hygiene supplies, which puts them at greater risk for illness.
Combine those statistics with a passion for sustainability among European hoteliers, and Europe is the ideal region for Clean the World expansion. We started collecting discarded soap and bottled amenities there in mid-October.
Hygiene items collected in Europe are recycled in Europe and benefit food banks and shelters in Europe. Here is a recent press release from are longtime friends and supporters at Marriott regarding our first European partner hotel:
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Press release: Final Draft 05/11/15
LONDON HEATHROW MARRIOTT HOTEL PARTNERS WITH ‘CLEAN THE WORLD’ AS FIRST HOTEL IN EUROPE TO RECYCLE SOAP
London Heathrow Marriott Hotel has given guests something to get on their soapboxes about with the announcement that it is the first hotel in Europe to recycle discarded soap with Clean the World.
The full service hotel has paired with ‘Clean The World’, a global enterprise that repurposes hygiene supplies left behind by hotel guests, to benefit homeless shelters, senior citizens and struggling families around the world.
Following Global Handwashing Day last month, the announcement of the initiative forms part of the hotel’s dedication to environmental sustainability, having been recognised previously by Greenleaders and Green Tourism for its effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Ron Vos, general manager at London Heathrow Marriott Hotel, said: “Hundreds of people fly in and out of Heathrow Airport every day and as a result we see hundreds of leisure and business guests come through our doors.
“If you think about the amount of soap that’s discarded by each of these guests and then consider all the people in the world that may not have the luxury of hygiene products, it seems absurd to let it all go to waste.
“Clean The World does a fantastic job of distributing these and other donated products to impoverished people, preventing millions of hygiene-related deaths each year – we’re very pleased to be the first hotel to make a contribution to this cause.”
Shawn Seipler, Clean The World’s founder and CEO, said: “Since 2009, Clean The World has distributed more than 1 million hygiene kits in the United States, Canada, and Asia, while diverting 3,600 metric tons of waste from landfills.”
