The Hospitality Show is partnering with Clean the World as its 2024 Charity Partner. With more than 8,200 participants in its Global Hospitality Recycling Program, and more than 1.4 million hotel rooms processed daily, Clean the World has already diverted more than 25.8 million pounds of waste from landfills, including 17.6 million pounds of soap and 8.2 million pounds of plastic, and donated over 82 million bars of recycled soap since its inception in 2009.
At The Hospitality Show 2024 in San Antonio, attendees will have the opportunity to help Clean the World create 1,000 hygiene kits to be donated to a local San Antonio shelter.
In anticipation of this year's The Hospitality Show, Hotel Management sat down with Clean the World's Robert Montgomery, vice president of hospitality and product, to discuss the organization, its purpose and why the group is partnering with The Hospitality Show again this year.
How did Clean the World come to be?
In 2009, after countless nights spent in hotel rooms for work, Shawn Seipler, our Founder and CEO, stumbled upon a simple yet transformative question: 'What happens to leftover soap in hotel rooms?' Little did he know that this question would catalyze the birth of Clean the World, now a global leader in sustainable environmental and social impact solutions.
Shocked by the revelation that the hospitality industry was discarding millions of usable soap bars each year, Shawn, driven by a deep sense of responsibility, embarked on a remarkable journey. With the unwavering support of his devoted family members, he transformed a humble one-car garage in Orlando, Florida, into the epicenter of soap recycling, setting in motion a movement that would change lives and communities around the world.
What is its purpose?
Clean the World’s purpose is simple: to make the world a better place by diverting soap bars and plastic amenities that the hospitality industry would otherwise discard onto landfills and recycling the collected soap into new bars that are used to help people in need.
Why are you partnering with The Hospitality Show again this year?
The Hospitality Show is a place where innovation and solution-based thinking drive progress in our industry. We at Clean the World are proud to bring our experience in sustainability and social impact to this amazing group of leaders.
How successful was last year's partnership?
Last year’s Hospitality Show was an incredible networking experience for Clean the World and we built amazing new relationships. Moreover, the show’s attendees participated in a team-building experience powered by our sister brand, CTW Events, and built hundreds of hygiene kits for homeless communities in Las Vegas. This event was a perfect way to illustrate how the soap that we collect from the hospitality industry as part of our Global Hospitality Recycling program is not only diverted from landfills but also recycled into new soap bars that are either used to build these hygiene kits or donated to global NGOs, such as The WASH Foundation, whose mission is to transform people’s lives by giving them access to lifesaving hygiene supplies, safe water and proper sanitation.
What are the top tips for attendees to make their own properties more sustainable?
Recycle your bathroom amenities. By joining our Global Hospitality Recycling program, you help us make the world a better place by diverting your used soap bars and plastic amenities from landfills and allowing us to recycle the collected soap into new bars. By doing so, you contribute to reducing pollution, saving water and decreasing your properties’ carbon footprint, while helping improve the lives of women, children, and communities by donating the new soap bars to global NGOs, such as The WASH Foundation.