TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Since July 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency has discouraged Taiwan's hotel industry from providing one-time usage amenities and items.
Five-star hotels across the country have carefully crafted a delicate equilibrium between providing their customers with an outstanding experience and remaining ecologically conscious thanks to this policy initiative.
"We were very cautious at the beginning and started to try it out on a small scale because, after all, the service industry is also apprehensive about the reaction of customers," said Sheng Chih-ren, the general manager of a five-star hotel group.
"Later, we found out that customers are actually more environmentally conscious than we imagined," he added.
The hotel has made strides toward sustainability by introducing refillable glass bottled water as an environmentally-friendly replacement for single-use plastic bottles in guest rooms.
"After not providing bottled water, we transitioned from having to buy 330,000 bottles of bottled water a year to now only buying 10,000 bottles a year so (that) a hotel can save up to 320,000 bottles a year," said Sheng.
According to statistics, the hotel industry provides more than 35 million disposable toiletry products annually.
Taiwan's hotels aim to provide guests with quality stays and corporate social responsibility, meaning travelers can now enjoy a more guilt-free experience when exploring the country.
By balancing hospitality excellence with environmental protection, these accommodations are bridging the gap between luxury comfort and critical global conservation efforts.
