Dubai’s award-winning day to night beach club, Zero Gravity proudly confirms the launch of its environmentally friendly campaign to boycott single use plastic at the venue. The objective is to ban all plastic straws and all plastic utensils including; single use plastic cutlery, cups, plates and stirrers from the venue and replace them with biodegradable alternatives. By the end of the year, Zero Gravity will implement further changes to ensure that this pledge implemented across all replaceable elements of the beach club both front of house and back of house.
Peter Skudutis, General Manager, Zero Gravity said; “We are taking a strong stand on this environmental issue, by implementing a strict ban on single use plastic. We’ve all seen horrifying videos of oceans filled with plastic which without a doubt harms marine life, birds, animals and eventually impacts the food chain as well as our health.” He added; “The hospitality industry uses a huge amount of single use plastic every day and it needs to stop. We need to find alternatives, where possible, and make changes now. We encourage other venues, companies, and individuals to join us and say no to single use plastic.”
Currently, Zero Gravity is exploring various biodegradable options to see what can be replaced making sure that the guests experience will not be affected by any of these changes.
Zero Gravity is set to reduce its annual single use plastic consumption from a total of 729,600 straws, 43,200 plastic cutleries and 40,800 plates to ZERO, declaring the venue a single use plastic free zone.
The ban on single use plastic campaign will take place across three phases;
Phase 1: A commitment from Zero Gravity to strictly ban single use plastic including: straws, plastic cutlery, cups, plates and stirrers at the venue by end of 2018.
Phase 2: Continued research with suppliers to find the most suitable alternative products for both front of house and back of house, as well educating staff and guests on impact of plastic on the environment.
Phase 3: Engaging the hospitality industry, sharing knowledge on best practice and how to best implement these changes at venues across the UAE.
In addition, to removing single use plastic, Zero Gravity is also launching a monthly We Love Our Beach cleanup in order to help raise further awareness of the importance of looking after the environment. The cleanup will take place every first Sunday of each month, starting on Sunday 5th August where the venue’s senior management team and staff will help clean up the beach at JBR and be part of this ecological initiative. To join the Zero Gravity team for the beach clean, email weloveourbeach@0-gravity.ae.