Hilton Colombo Residences activates #NoPlasticsBag to sustain country for next 100 years

• Celebrates Hilton’s 100th anniversary with a pledge of over 300 signatures that resolve to reduce single-use plastic

Hilton, one of the fastest-growing hospitality companies in the world, celebrated its centennial milestone on 31 May and brought ‘The Hilton Effect’ to life through a series of initiatives that measured the impact the brand has had on its guests, team members, and communities. 

This positive, world-altering impact has been researched and documented by business authors Chip Heath and Karla Starr. Hilton Colombo Residences extends celebrations of this milestone by contributing to community’s impact and conservation of the environment.

The Sri Lanka CAN Foundation estimates 20 million plastic grocery bags are used in the country on a daily basis. According to Earth Day, Sri Lanka is ranked 5th amongst 20 countries for the mismanagement of plastic waste. Hilton Colombo Residences’ objective for the 100th year celebrations was to preserve the environment in Sri Lanka, preparing a way for the Brand’s next 100 years by tackling an imminent challenge in the country. 

To mark the centennial celebrations, the hotel introduced a 100% upcycled bag to all its team members. Each team member pledged to this commitment that promises to reduce usage of single-use plastic bags and to use the – #NoPlasticsbag instead. The activation was launched with a photo competition that required team members to post a creative photograph on their social media with hashtags #HiltonEffect and #NoPlastics which would generate more awareness in their individual communities.

With over a hundred submissions, it is estimated that 300+ team members impacted individual communities, gaining momentum of over 10,000 people reached within a span of one week. 

This would later be introduced to guests and the public in due course. Hilton Colombo Residences’ owning company, Hirdaramani Group of Companies and their brand LICC, collaborated to design and launch a bag made with 100% upcycled denim material. 

“Hilton has been impacting the lives of guests, team members, and our local communities for a hundred years. This year as Hilton celebrates its centennial anniversary our purpose is to act on some of the challenging issues that severely hinder the environment and thereby our community. 

The hotel has eliminated the use of plastic to a great extent and it only seemed apt that this continues to protect Sri Lanka for the next 100 years,” said General Manager Linda Giebing. 

“Each team member has influence in his or her communities and have the power to change behaviour of their friends and families, we are grateful to having our owning company’s partnership to celebrate Hilton’s centennial with this signature upcycled bag.”

In 2018, The United Nations Environment report classified single-use plastics as items that can be discarded after using it once without being recycled such as plastic grocery bags, plastic cutlery, water bottles, and Styrofoam take-out containers. 

These items are most often found in waterways, oceans, and in landfills, that are detrimental to human and wildlife. 

The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) reports that the most susceptible wildlife are marina mammals, seabirds, and turtles. The ingested plastic causes injuries in fish intestines resulting in death. 

Turtles who lay egg on beaches strewn with plastic also affect these cycles. 60% of sea birds die of starvation as floating plastic affect the photosynthesis process and the productivity of the marine environment.