Noel Asmar
Sustainability is an issue dominating the global spa industry. Being in the textile industry, I’m only too aware of the complexities affecting its negative carbon footprint – which is more than all international flights and commercial shipping combined – and the daily truckloads of material sent to landfills.
It isn’t a simple task to recycle the high volume of uniforms, robes, towels and sheets used in hotels and spas. The durability of mixed fibres (used to withstand repeat wear and washings) and notions such as bare zippers, buttons and accessories all need to be managed, removed and sorted.
Over the past couple of years, my team and I have taken steps to manage our own textile waste and started asking operators what they do and it became clear that no established policies are in place.
That’s why we’ve launched Hospitality Lifecycle, an initiative to provide hotels and spas – regardless of whom they purchase their textiles from – access to practical, cost-effective solutions to safely and securely manage their textiles through global recycling experts.
Gone are the days when you can dump product in landfills or simply donate without environmental and financial costs.
