Posted on: August 30, 2023, 10:06h.
Last updated on: August 30, 2023, 10:06h.
Hong Kong-based Melco Resorts, which owns and operates integrated casino resorts in China’s Macau, the Philippines, and Cyprus, is eliminating single-use plastic bottles.
Melco’s portfolio includes City of Dreams, Studio City, and Morpheus in Macau, City of Dreams Manila in the Philippines capital of Manila, and City of Dreams Mediterranean in Cyprus.
In a press release this week, Melco officials said the company will gradually phase out single-use plastic bottles with refillable glass bottles across its casino resorts. Melco is incorporating the NORDAQ water purification and bottling solution. NORDAQ is a Sweden-based company that “harnesses patented technology to provide premium, sustainable end-to-end water solutions.”
The Melco release explained that the replacement of plastic water bottles with refillable glass is part of the company’s “Rise to Go Above & Beyond” pledge, a sustainability initiative launched in 2021.
We have been developing and enhancing our 2025 roadmap to address the root causes of plastic pollution within our operations, and as part of this, we are glad to have rolled out the NORDAQ solution across our properties in both Asia and Europe. Through such initiatives, we hope to continue to inspire our guests by demonstrating that a sustainable future is a better future,” commented Lawrence Ho, the founder, chair, and CEO of Melco Resorts.
Ho is the casino group’s largest shareholder through his stake in Melco International Development, the parent entity of Melco Resorts. Ho is valued at approximately $1 billion.
NORDAQ System
Melco states that implementing the NORDAQ water purification replenishing system will prevent millions of plastic bottles from being discarded at its casino properties.
Melco hotels traditionally provide guests with two complimentary plastic bottles of water. However, over the next few months, these bottles will be replaced with glass bottles filled with purified water.
Melco’s casinos will install on-site NORDAQ water systems that purify tap water “into a perfectly neutral result, without taste, smell, or impurities.” The company claims that the purification technology eliminates unwanted flavors while retaining the water’s natural salts and minerals.
Global Leader
Ho states that Melco Resorts is the first global hospitality group and integrated resort operator to commit to removing plastic water drinking bottles from its properties. Melco is a signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Tourism Organization.
The UN Environment Program states that the world is “addicted” to single-use plastic products, which have significant environmental, social, economic, and health consequences. The UN reports that one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and around five trillion plastic bags are used annually worldwide.
The world produces approximately 400 million tons of plastic waste each year, a staggering amount considering that plastic is significantly lighter than other common packaging materials.
The UN Environment Program estimates that about 85% of single-use plastics are not recycled, but instead end up in landfills or, worse, as unregulated waste in the oceans. The initiative suggests that the Earth’s oceans currently contain up to 200 million tons of plastic waste.