Melbourne Marriott hotel introduces revolutionary Envirocane hand towel

Aug 12, 08 | 1:57 am

Did you also know that thousands of trees are cut down every year to produce wood products? And that millions of tonnes of wood pulp are used in hygiene paper products alone! Whether they are from controlled harvest plantation or remaining rain forest, they all contribute to the slow death of our nature. Green house emissions, deforestation are but some of the symptoms, but here at the Melbourne Marriott Hotel we are looking to reduce our carbon footprint by working to combat against this problem.

The latest innovation is the Envirocane hand towel. Made from 85% Victorian sugar cane pulp, a by-product of sugar production, also known as bagasse, the process of this product takes place in a state of the art processing plant. Recognised for its excellent quality and accreditation with international standards, the sugar cane pulp is an environmentally friendly, clean, and abundant sustainable and renewable resource.

Sugar cane fibre is a by-product of sugar production, being the fibrous material remaining after raw sugar has been extracted from sugar cane. As such, it is not only an annually-renewable resource but, as a by-product of another production process, is also a recycled raw material. Together with wood fibre derived from sustainable and certified sources, sugar cane is used to create the pulp from which paper and paper products are made.

In the process of making recycled paper, impurities such as ink, dirt and germs have to be removed out of the paper which requires extensive chemical treatment and energy resources. Bleach is also used to whiten the final product. Realising the impact of these factors on the environment, the Melbourne Marriott Hotel decided to trial the envirocane hand towel by introducing them in associate areas and public area toilets.


About Marriott International, inc

Marriott International, inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories.  Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott  brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers and golf courses.  The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end.  It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE_^®.  The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR_^® Partner.  In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion.  For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.