The travel industry is adapting every day. More than ever, companies are embracing the move towards sustainability, from vegan hotels to eco-accommodation.
OXFORD, ENGLAND – MAY 14: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex waves as he departs Oxford Children’s Hospital on 14 May 2019 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
As travellers grow more mindful of their own contributions, Prince Harry is also committing to being more eco-conscious by questioning hotels on their plastic use.
Nacho Figueras, a long time friend of the royal, recently shared a bit about their travels together as members of the same polo club with CBS News. Figueras revealed that Harry has major qualms with hotels that use wasteful, over-packaged plastic products – going as far as to make a big commitment to reducing his own consumption going forward.
“He was there and we were at the hotel where we spent the night before the game,” Figueras said. “He talked to a person and said, ‘This morning I got my coffee and I saw that you have a plastic thing on the coffee. And then I also sent my shirt and I got my shirt in a big plastic bag.’” The prince then added, “Can we please not use the plastic?”
Figueras continued in his interview, “So that’s this guy, okay. I don’t like to talk about that at all, that’s who he is. That’s who they are. No plastic.”
Frequent flier Prince Harry has been a keen environmentalist since he was a kid. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Clearly, the frequent flyer prince is following in the footsteps of his parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana – both keen environmentalists who encouraged him to collect rubbish even as a child. Perhaps he could consider taking up plogging – the Scandinavian practice of picking up litter while jogging – in his adult years?
Prince Harry is following in the footsteps of many companies who are rejecting single-use plastics. Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly was recently responsible for the first plastic-free flight. Similarly, Australian airline Qantas has pledged to eliminate single-use plastics from flights by next year, aiming to eliminate 100 million single-use plastics from flights and lounges by 2020.
On the festival front, Glastonbury is taking the lead in banning plastic bottles for festival goers. In 2016, the Glastonbury Free Press reported that festival-goers left 500,000 bags of rubbish and 1022 tons of recycling on the festival site.
Want to go plastic-free while you travel? Find out how here.
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