Last week saw people from around the world do their part for World Oceans Day. Close to home, the eagerly anticipated resort from InterContinental Hotels & Resorts pledged to only supply reef-safe sunscreen to guests from 1 July. There are few destinations on Earth that can call the Great Barrier Reef – one of the seven wonders of the natural world – its home. Hayman Island is lucky enough to be surrounded by expansive reef and is wanting to be proactive in protecting it.
When Hayman Island by InterContinental officially opens to the world on 1 July, the resort will exclusively supply its guests with reef-safe sunscreen in an effort to be actively involved in the conservation of the reef and help negate the wider effects of toxic sunscreen on the world’s oceans. The pre-arrivals communication with guests will encourage them to also join the pledge to protect the reed. Guests will be guided through the products available for use on-island and the wider effects of choosing to use non-reef safe alternatives.
The decision has been informed by a myriad of international scientific research projects on the long-lasting effects of sunscreen ingredients on the world’s reef ecosystems. Hayman Island by InterContinental will be embracing environmentally-friendly Australian owned We Are Feel Good Inc. products as a biologically-safer sunscreen alternative to offer guests staying at the luxury resort.
Dr Scott McGregor, Co-Founder and Product Developer at We Are Feel Good Inc. is excited about this new partnership. “We are proud and delighted to be working with Hayman Island by InterContinental, a brand partner who shares our passion for providing quality products that are backed by science and guided by the importance to fiercely protect against destructive environmental impact, as well as personal health,” he said. From the outset we designed our sunscreens to protect our skin but also not to harm our environment, and, along with co-founder Jake Paterson, we have been very conscious of the potential harm to reef systems. Progressive Governments around the world are starting to ban certain UV filters, confirmed by research to potentially harm reef systems, from products. We have ensured all our sunscreens are free of such filters in a bid to reduce any environmental impact.”
This pledge announced for Wold Ocean Day joins a plethora of additional initiatives the iconic private island resort is implementing to ensure the resort is on the front foot of sustainability when it opens.
Mark Eletr, General Manager of Hayman Island by InterContinental said he hopes the small changes the brand has made will inspire guests to do the same.“Studies have shown that every minute, up to one million plastic bottles are being purchased with only 23% of these being recycled,” he said. “Whilst we understand that people’s individual choices about what they put in our oceans is out of our control, we recognise we can control what occurs in our extraordinary surrounds and can seek to inspire our guests at Hayman Island to do so also. From our ban on single use plastic to our commitment to reef-safe sunscreen, through simple yet strong initiatives we hope to not only protect our sacred local environment, but also educate our visitors and guests on easy sustainable practices.”
The resort has many other environmental initiatives in place including their glass to sand crusher for recycling glass bottles, in-room thermal technology, water reuse and recycle irrigation among others.
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