Travel is meant to be an escape - but it often comes with a hidden cost: endless single-use plastic. From tiny shampoo bottles in hotels to plastic-wrapped snacks on flights, travellers encounter disposable items at every turn. But TUI is on a mission to change that.

Leading this change are people like Serge, a seasoned Purser on TUI flights and Cabin Standards Executive for TUI fly Netherlands, and Simon Florin, Environmental Officer on the Marella Explorer cruise ship. TUI has committed to eliminating all unnecessary and harmful single-use plastic items by 2030. This ambitious goal is part of TUI's larger Sustainability Agenda – on land, at sea, and in the air.

"Every year, TUI Airline removes an average of 83M pieces of plastic"

On TUI flights, Serge has witnessed the transformation firsthand. “When I started working in aviation 20 years ago, single use plastics were everywhere. Over the last years, I luckily saw a total shift in mindset. Every year, TUI Airline removes an average of 83 million pieces of plastic from its operations, based on our 2019 starting point," he shares. The changes are obvious to the passengers: Plastic cups have been replaced with paper, distributed only upon request, and plastic wrapping for items like blankets or headphones has been eliminated. On long-haul flights, TUI is working on opportunities to reduce the plastic used to protect food, through better non-plastic packaging and closed loop washable dining equipment.

At sea, Simon Florin is leading efforts on the Marella Explorer. Since 2019, Marella Cruises has avoided around 9 million single-use plastic items, from straws to plastic vanity bin liners. The latest achievement the Romanian is proud of? A cutting-edge microplastic filter designed by the Cleaner Seas Group in the ship’s laundry system that captures up to 99% of microfibres – preventing them from entering the ocean.

TUI’s hotels are also joining the fight against plastic. Since 2022, the company has reduced the amount of plastic per guest night in its owned and managed hotels by 19%. The focus is on the principle of "Remove, Reuse, Replace" – avoiding single-use items wherever possible. In some hotels, TUI has also begun installing microplastic filters from the Cleaner Seas Group, extending the successful initiative from its cruise fleet to land-based operations.

"It's a journey, and there’s still work to be done"

Looking ahead, both Serge and Simon are clear about their mission. "It's a journey, and there’s still work to be done. But every small change adds up," says Simon. "If we can make travel a little cleaner with every flight or cruise, that’s already a big win," adds Serge.