MacGregor MacDuff

MacGregor MacDuff promote a ‘kilt for life’ policy. Their kilts are made from 100% worsted wool, and they are an official supported of The Campaign for Wool. Most products are made in Scotland and the rest handcrafted in the UK, supporting homegrown talent and industries.

As a large part of the business is rentals and hires, this promotes a waste less and reuse more philosophy, ex-hire products are sold to customers at a reduced price so that no item goes to waste.

Stores have recently undergone refits which focused on using sustainable and upcycled materials, and small daily actions have been introduced to be more respectful of the environment such as switching to pencil only.

Any plastic that still exists within the company is reused and the company has switched to paper bags which are 100% recyclable. They are currently researching the most effective and reusable packaging options that would work with UK and international deliveries.

Visit the MacGregor MacDuff website for more information.

Novotel Hotel Glasgow & ibis Styles Glasgow City Centre

By switching bottles to glass, plastic disposable cups to paper, replacing jam and butter tubs with alternatives and looking at replacing front of house items such as bin bags with sustainable alternatives Novotel Glasgow and Ibis Glasgow City Centre are working towards eliminating all single use plastics. They have also removed all single use toiletries and replaced these with larger refillable bottles and new vanity kit amenities now have responsible paper packaging.

The hotels are working to replace all lights to LED bulbs, work began in public areas and moved on to conference facilities, with the focus now on bedrooms to complete the full install.

Go green skip the clean is an initiative which offers guests incentives such as a free drink or breakfast for skipping the daily cleaning in their room. By skipping a day, it saves on energy, water use and contributes to a cleaner atmosphere with less chemicals being used and carbon emissions from daily deliveries for supplies.

The Planet 21 programme was set up by Accor and awards hotels the Planet 21 certificate once sustainable guidelines have been met. This is mandatory for Accor hotels and gives clients and guests reassurance that all hotels are working towards a more sustainable future.

At the end of breakfast service in the hotel, instead of disposing of extra cooked food, this is offered on the Too Good To Go app at a discounted price for guests to come and collect, which reduces food waste.

Visit the Novotel Hotel Glasgow website and the ibis Styles Glasgow city centre website for more information. 

WeeBox

WeeBoxes are made from 100% recycled cardboard, with postage bags being 100% compostable. The packaging materials used are recycled Scottish newspapers.

WeeBox are working closely with their makers to support their zero waste commitments by creating new gifts, encouraging them to remove single use plastics and create more sustainable gifts.

Subscribers are being encouraged to reuse their WeeBoxes through the sustainability competition.

Visit the WeeBox website for more information.

Fraser Suites

Holders of a Bronze Green Tourism Award, the Fraser Suites in Glasgow are now supplied by 100% renewable energy, and they are promoting green stays through their sustainable practices.

Some of these include switching from paper copies of magazine and newspapers, to providing these in an e-format on a digital news platform.

Single use plastics are being removed from operations not only on site, but also in packaging that comes from their suppliers. Recycling points are also available too.

A new uniform has been introduced for team members with some suit items being made from 100% recycled plastic.

The cleaning methods used at Fraser Suites now uses just tap water, electricity, and oxygen, significantly reducing the number of chemicals entering rivers.

Visit the Fraser Suites Glasgow website for more information.

First Bus

First Glasgow recently announced that they have placed a £19.7m order of electric buses with Scottish vehicle manufacturer Alexander Dennis Ltd. In the latest step on its decarbonisation journey. The new buses will save approximately 3,023 tonnes of CO2e per annum as they replace older diesel buses. The full fleet of 50 is expected to be in place by Spring 2024.

This year Glasgow also became home to the UK’s largest electric vehicle rapid-charging centre as First Bus completed the major transformation of the flagship Caledonia depot. Work will now begin in Glasgow’s Scotstoun depot to install rapid-charging points to support the new fleet of buses.

Visit the First Bus Glasgow website for more information.

Maldron Hotel Glasgow

Following assessment Maldron Hotel Glasgow City have been awarded a Gold Green Tourism Award, recognising their commitment to sustainability. The hotel has an Environmental Impact Team, which is comprised of team members across hotel departments who regularly review and set goals to improve the sustainability strategy.

Cross-department communication on occupancy in the Meetings & Events space, ensures the maintenance team can tailor heating, ventilation, and lighting to ensure there is no wasted energy in unoccupied rooms.

Air source heat pumps are used to heat the first 45 degrees Celsius of hot water in the hotel, leaving only the remaining 15 degrees to be heated by traditional fossil fuels. The hotel are working towards eliminating any reliance on fossil fuels by increasing the use of renewables and incorporating new technologies.

A multi sensor Building Management tool is utilised which means preventative maintenance can take place, such as the regular cleaning of filter in the air conditioning systems, which results in an average energy saving of 15%. In a 300-bedroom hotel, that equates to 45 air conditioning units running free of charge.

Visit the Maldron Glasgow Hotel website for more information.