Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bath salts, you name it and your customer wants to see it placed beautifully on the counter-top in the bathroom, awaiting their much anticipated arrival. Today’s customer however, not only wants to receive quality amenities that leave their skin and hair feeling soft and luxurious but amenities that won’t have a negative impact on the environment.
Some hotels like NH Hotels, a Spanish hotel chain, are even starting to produce their own set of eco-friendly amenities and bottles (Agua de la Tierra) in order to compete on multiple levels with hotels offering customers a greener way to travel. While not every hotel can afford to manufacture their own line of environmentally-friendly amenities, there are a number of ways to improve your line-up in a sustainable way.
An eye on the label: what to watch out for
Caution! Not all amenities are as eco-friendly as they seem. According to the experts, personal care products are the least regulated consumer products on the market. This means that your hotel may be providing customers with products that can cause more harm than good, both to the consumer, and the environment.
Websites like theecologist.org, Green People, and Ecosalon are full of warnings about potentially harmful ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), a chemical used to form that nice lather that covers customers from head to toe, but that can also lead to inflamed skin, allergic reactions and dried out scalp, and even permanent eye damage in children and liver toxicity. While you may not be able to analyze the contents of every amenity, it’s good for you, as an accommodation provider, to be aware of what may sneak its way into your product. The Environmental Working Group provides a list of preservatives that should be avoided. These include:
- Words ending in “paraben”
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Triclosan
- Triclocarban
- Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
It s also advised that purchasers keep an eye out for the soaps, surfactants and lubricants that start with “PEG” or have “-eth” in the middle and words like “fragrance”, “FD&C” or “D&C.”
Where to start sourcing “green” amenities
As an accommodation provider in Canada, here’s where you can start looking for products that are “green” in nature (and maybe in colour too).
Greensuites: Greensuites offer an array of products from suppliers like Paya Organics, Natural Earth, and Koha Spa, who specialize in amenities that come in individual sizes, bulk and dispenser form (the most environmentally friendly option on the market).
EO Products: From organic lip treatments to french lavender shower gel, EO Products sound simply delicious! EO offers their very own product line, dispensers also available.
Pineapple Hospitality: Distributors of Environmentally Sensitive Amenities which, according to their website “contain minimal preservatives, minimal labeling and are packaged in non-bleached natural board for biodegradability”. Samples available prior to ordering.
True North Distributors: You have to hunt around a bit as True North carries a number of brands, but it’s worth it as they carry a number of eco-friendly products for you to choose from.
Questions or comments? Leave them below!
image credit: badruddeen
