NEWS

The Balearic Islands' Law for waste and polluted lands (8/2019) was passed on February 19th, four years ago. Today, Plastic Free Balearics is launching a new call for businesses in the hospitality industry to get certified for free, until the end of September 2022. This opportunity is made possible by the support of CaixaBank and Fundació Sa Nostra.
 

Plastic Free Balearics is one of nine environmental projects in the Balearic Islands shortlisted for 'Call for the Environment 2022', launched by CaixaBank and Fundació Sa Nostra. The Save the Med project has been selected for its focus on the protection of biodiversity, environmental innovation and the circular economy.

The Plastic Free Balearics certification has eliminated 16,394kg of plastic waste throughout the archipelago during its 10-month pilot phase, according to the results of the initiative announced today in Palma. This includes nearly 760,000 33cl plastic bottles, which have been removed from the supply chain.

Loren Carrasco, vice-rector of innovation and digital transformation at UIB, took part in the seminar and underlined the university's commitment to promoting this type of action: "We will do everything possible to seek synergies with foundations such as Save The Med and other sectors to try to identify interesting initiatives and projects that help us to improve or resolve the situation we currently have," she said.

The certification initiative launches a guide aimed at the hospitality sector to facilitate purchasing decisions with a lower environmental impact.

Since June 2021, Plastic Free Balearics has certified 49 establishments, which plan to eliminate almost 6 tonnes of plastic waste from the supply chain.

During European Waste Reduction week, Plastic Free Balearics presents preliminary results showing the impact of the first phase of the certification, a seal and guarantee of environmental quality that facilitates the reduction of plastics in the hospitality industry. 44 businesses have singed up so far, including 4 hotel chains, making a total of 93 establishments. 

The initiative, which has just launched its pilot phase, is now inviting all businesses across the islands’ hospitality industry to become Plastic Free Guardians and earn from 1 up to 5 stars, free-of-charge, to incentivise businesses in the hospitality industry to eliminate single-use plastics. Plastic Free Balearics aims to avoid any so-called “greenwashing” by providing certified businesses with a “Guide of Honest Alternatives” in order to help them to replace single-use products with less harmful ones, along with a personalised roadmap detailing the steps required to become plastic-free.

The Plastic Free Balearics certification welcomes the new bans set in place by the “Balearic Waste Law” and calls on the Government for regulations on bioplastics, to avoid fake solutions. The certification initiative goes beyond the new laws and aims to help business in the restaurant and hotel sectors of the Balearic Islands to eliminate single-use plastics, substituting them for more honest alternatives.

The Mallorca-based Save the Med Foundation and IbizaPreservation have joined forces in Plastic Free Balearics, with the slogan “Four islands, one common goal”. Through this certification, the organisations hope to significantly increase the number of companies committed to reducing single-use plastics, as well as uniting all sectors - private, governmental and non-governmental - in the common goal of reducing the environmental impact generated by plastic pollution, which affects both the biodiversity of the islands and the health of its residents.