ECO-FRIENDLY BUSINESS WITH "HOLIDAY INN" AND HALM
Melissa (HALM):
Dear Christoph, as a hotel manager you carry a great deal of responsibility for staff and guests. What made you rethink things in favour of sustainability?
Christoph (HI Berlin City Eastside):
I did not need a defining moment to realise that sustainability matters. Spend just 10 minutes looking into it and it quickly becomes clear that we have to change something!
Hotels in particular go through an enormous number of straws. That is why hotels should act as role models and lead by example. Our franchisor IHG keeps launching new initiatives to make the hotel industry even more environmentally friendly.
I had also worked before in a hotel where sustainability played a major role. Back then, I worked with companies such as “Too Good To Go” to reduce food waste.
More about the sustainability of HALM
Melissa (HALM):
Were there other straw alternatives you considered? And if so, which ones, and why did you decide against them?
Christoph (HI Berlin City Eastside):
Alongside HALM, we tested paper straws. One advantage was the variety of colours. Of course it is nice to have a blue or red striped straw in your drink now and then.
The product is certainly fine too, but it did not convince us when it came to taste. If you leave a paper straw in a drink for a few minutes, you unfortunately always end up with that papery taste on your tongue. And you still have to throw it away after use. For these reasons, we decided against paper straws.
Melissa (HALM):
What feedback did you get when testing HALM?
Christoph (HI Berlin City Eastside):
HALM looks premium and is easy to handle. What really made the difference for us, though, was the regional aspect. For us, there is nothing better than sourcing a sustainable straw from a Berlin start-up!
Melissa (HALM):
Were there any points of criticism as well?
Christoph (HI Berlin City Eastside):
There were concerns about durability. But we put HALM through its paces and dropped a few on the floor. As there was next to no breakage, those concerns were quickly dispelled. Another point was hygiene: staff were worried that HALM would not get properly clean in the wash. That concern also proved unfounded after a single dishwasher cycle. And if need be, there is always the cleaning brush.
Melissa (HALM):
So you are happy with your decision?
Christoph (HI Berlin City Eastside):
When I first came across HALM, I was impressed straight away: a great drinking experience, high-quality production, easy to clean, and it hardly ever breaks. We made the right decision!
Melissa (HALM):
Thank you very much for your time, and enjoy your sustainable sipping!