The City Lodge Hotel Group (CLHG) takes sustainability seriously. Last year, the group rolled out a R20 million solar panel project. In January, it committed to transition to 100% cage-free eggs throughout its operations by 2025. And on 16 July 2020, it announced plans to remove all single-use plastic from guest bedrooms across all five hotel brands – Fairview Hotel (Kenya), Courtyard Hotel, City Lodge Hotel, Town Lodge and Road Lodge.
In a single year 2 141 434 units of plastic will be prevented from going into South Africa’s depleting landfills.Working together with its South African supplier, The Bespoke Amenities Company (TBAC), CLHG will replace all existing amenities with zero-waste alternatives that are kinder to our planet and its finite resources.

“The new bathroom amenities range leapfrogs over alternative solutions, such as dispensing systems, and reflects the latest thinking in sustainability.”Guests will also be able to request the following from reception: shave kits (razors will have corn starch handles rather than plastic); dental kits (toothbrushes will have bamboo handles, and tooth powder tablets will replace toothpaste and its non-recyclable tubes); vanity kits (cotton bud stems will be made from paper); sanitary bags (using 100% post-consumer waste); shoe mitts (re-usable and washable); and sewing kits. All plastic packaging has been stripped out, and products will instead be packaged in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified cardboard packaging that is completely recyclable. Replacing plastic with paper, and using corn starch and bamboo, also means this new range is derived from renewable resources rather than non-renewable petroleum.
“This collaboration to launch a range of environmentally-friendly guest amenities means less plastic on bathroom counter tops and beaches.”

- PET bottles: 688 201 units
- Flow wraps: 1 364 954 units
- Plastic tubes: 67 829 units
- Boxed accessories (non-FSC board): 53 142 units
“We are very excited to take this huge step in sustainability to benefit the planet and believe we are the first hotel group in the country to go this particular route.”“We are very excited to take this huge step in sustainability to benefit the planet and believe we are the first hotel group in the country to go this particular route,” says Andrea Anderson, general manager: operations at CLHG. “The new bathroom amenities range leapfrogs over alternative solutions, such as dispensing systems, and reflects the latest thinking in sustainability. It also adds a bold, fun and fresh element to the guest’s in room experience.” Bruce Turner, MD of TBAC, adds, “This collaboration to launch a range of environmentally-friendly guest amenities means less plastic on bathroom counter tops and beaches. Together, we have made it easy for guests to make a difference.”