By the end of 2022, 84% of Accor hotels had eliminated 46 types of single-use plastics from the guest experience, and switching single-dose amenities to dispensers was avoiding more than 300 tons of plastic per year — roughly 980 tons of CO₂-equivalent alongside it. The group also rolled out a plastic-free range of nearly 50 accessories made from wood, bamboo and kraft paper, with external non-deforestation certification, adopted by 1,200 hotels. This is a documented case, not a projection: every figure below is sourced from Accor’s own 2022 Integrated Report and published interviews with its sustainability leadership. The detail most summaries miss — and the part that matters most for suppliers — is that Accor stopped providing single-use items automatically even when they were plastic-free.
The documented numbers
| Indicator | Result (as reported by Accor) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels that eliminated 46 single-use plastic items from the guest experience | 84% by end of 2022 | Accor 2022 Integrated Report |
| Plastic avoided per year by replacing single-dose amenities with dispensers | More than 300 tons (≈980 t CO₂e) | Interview with Accor’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Hotelier Middle East |
| Plastic-free amenity range (wood, bamboo, kraft paper, external non-deforestation certification) | Nearly 50 accessories; adopted by 1,200 hotels | Same interview |
| Hotels that eliminated single-use plastic bottles in rooms (Europe & North America) | 96% in rooms, 95% in other operations | Same interview |
| Share of the bottle problem represented by Europe & North America | About 50% of the portfolio — the rest is the hard part still being rolled out | Same interview |
The detail most summaries miss: even plastic-free items stopped being automatic
Accor’s Chief Sustainability Officer was explicit: “It is essential that single-use items are no longer automatically provided to our guests — even if they are plastic-free or made from sustainable materials.” Straws, stirrers, sugar sachets, certain hygiene products and buffet disposables moved to an on-request model. That is a structural insight, not a green gesture: the cheapest, lowest-carbon amenity is the one that never gets manufactured, shipped and binned. For suppliers this changes what “plastic-free opportunity” means — the demand is not for one-for-one plastic substitutes across the board, but for durable or on-request solutions first, and certified single-use replacements only where the operation truly needs disposables.
Six Senses ran a parallel programme (Plastic-Free 2022, launched in 2018) and Hilton and other majors moved the same direction, which suggests this is now the industry default rather than one group’s experiment.
Where bamboo fits — and what the certification requirement really means
Two details in Accor’s rollout matter directly for bamboo suppliers and buyers:
- The material list. The ~50-item plastic-free range is specified as wood, bamboo and kraft paper — bamboo is named, not implied. That confirms the material is accepted at the strictest procurement level in the industry.
- The certification clause. The range carries external certification on non-deforestation. For bamboo, the practical equivalent is FSC chain-of-custody on the factory, not a logo on the box — a point we cover in depth in our FSC chain-of-custody guide. Buyers copying the Accor model should ask for the certificate scope document, not the marketing claim.
It also aligns with the regulatory picture: the EU Deforestation Regulation leaves bamboo outside the wood scope, which removes one due-diligence layer for EU-facing programmes — see how EUDR scope really works for bamboo.
The transferable playbook for independent hotels and pousadas
A 5,500-hotel group has negotiating power an 18-room pousada does not. But the sequence Accor used is copyable at small scale, and the case numbers help build the internal business case:
| Step | What Accor did | Small-property version |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Count the items | Listed 46 single-use plastic types in the guest experience | Walk one room and one breakfast service; list every disposable. Most properties find 25–50 items. |
| 2. Remove before replacing | Moved items to on-request — including plastic-free ones | Stop auto-restocking the bottom third of the list; offer at the desk instead. |
| 3. Switch format, not just material | Replaced single-dose amenity bottles with dispensers (300+ t/yr saved) | Dispensers or refillables in back-of-house first; guest rooms second, once housekeeping signs off. |
| 4. Certify what remains | External non-deforestation certification on the replacement range | Ask suppliers for FSC scope documents; keep them in the procurement file. |
| 5. Measure and publish | Published the numbers in the Integrated Report | Track pieces-per-room-night and replacement cost per quarter — and say the honest number publicly. |
For the product side of a small-property rollout — which bamboo items survive housekeeping and how to phase the switch without double-buying — see our bamboo amenity sets guide. And if you operate in Brazil, remember that environmental claims on the replacement range are regulated: our guide to plastic-free claims that get Brazilian importers fined covers the wording that stays inside CONAR rules.
Limitations of this case — read before citing it
Honesty about the data keeps this case citable:
- Figures are group-level and self-reported by Accor in its 2022 Integrated Report and interviews. We have not independently audited them.
- The data is from end-2022 — the latest fully public set at the time of writing. Later figures may differ.
- Regional gaps are real. Europe and North America (about 50% of the portfolio) drove the bottle results; Accor itself flagged other regions as the harder rollout. Do not extrapolate the 84% to “the industry is done”.
- “More than 300 tons” is attributed specifically to the dispenser switch for personal-hygiene products — not to the entire 46-item programme.
FAQ
Did Accor replace plastic amenities with bamboo?
Partially. The published range is nearly 50 accessories across wood, bamboo and kraft paper — bamboo is explicitly named — with external non-deforestation certification. But the larger saving came from dispensers and from making single-use items on-request rather than from a material swap.
How much plastic did the switch actually save?
The dispenser programme alone avoids more than 300 tons of plastic per year, with about 980 tons of CO₂-equivalent, according to Accor. No consolidated tonnage for the full 46-item programme has been published.
Can an independent hotel copy this without a group’s budget?
The sequence transfers: count items, move to on-request, switch format for the highest-volume items, certify the remainder, measure quarterly. What does not transfer is group-level pricing — small properties typically pay more per unit, which makes the “remove before replace” step even more important economically.
Is bamboo certification mandatory for hotel amenity programmes?
Not legally in most markets, but the strictest procurement standard in the industry (Accor’s) requires external non-deforestation certification on its replacement range. For bamboo, ask the factory for an FSC chain-of-custody scope document rather than relying on packaging claims.
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Sources
- Accor, Integrated Report 2022 — “eliminating single-use plastic in the guest experience in more than 80% of our hotels”. group.accor.com (PDF)
- Accor Group, Innovation in Procurement: Five Ways Accor is Serving Hospitality’s Transition Towards a More Sustainable Model — 84% of hotels, 46 single-use plastic types, 300+ tons/year via dispensers. group.accor.com
- Hotelier Middle East, Accor’s Brune Poirson: “Sustainability will shape the future of hospitality” — 46 items, ~50-accessory plastic-free range in wood/bamboo/kraft with external non-deforestation certification, 1,200 hotels, 980 t CO₂e, on-request policy, regional bottle figures. hoteliermiddleeast.com