At Biogone, we aim to provide greener alternatives to the traditional, single use, disposable plastics and packaging that the majority of our community use today. Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to partner with The Sofitel Melbourne On Collins in providing landfill-biodegradable products used across various areas in their hotel operation.
The Sofitel Melbourne On Collins is synonymous with luxury, glamour and timeless elegance. It is also a huge supporter of many Biogone’s landfill-biodegradable products, which offer the convenience of single use plastics but with less of an ecological footprint compared to traditional plastics.
About The Sofitel
The Sofitel, is a certified ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System organisation. To comply with this international standard, they consistently need to challenge themselves to find new ways to reduce their carbon footprint. For the luxury hotel at Sofitel Melbourne, Biogone was a perfect fit, and provided benefits in assisting the hotel to become more sustainable in their various outlets.
We had the opportunity to chat with Johanna Bouniol, the Quality, Risk and Environment Manager at the Sofitel, who shared the experience in working with Biogone and their products.
Which Biogone products are used at Sofitel Melbourne?
Since July 2019, The Sofitel has been using Biogone’s Landfill-biodegradable products such as their disposable gloves and Landfill Biodegradable cling wrap which is BPA free, in the banquets, restaurant, lounge and Club areas for both cleanliness and food safety.
How did The Sofitel come to know about Biogone and their product offerings?
The hotel staff and the entire Accor group have always been determined to reduce our waste and be a more eco friendly hotel. When our kitchen and purchasing staff were challenged to find new suppliers that fit this goal, we had many different options. Biogone became the supplier of choice when we looked at the biodegradable plastics it produces and the benefits it provides when disposed and broken down in landfills.
Why do you think Biogone is a good fit with Sofitel Melbourne in the products they create and distribute?
Hotels are not just a place for guests to sleep in. At Sofitel Melbourne, we actually service more guests per day in our conference and events areas, restaurants, bar and Club lounge. The impact on landfill from these areas and in particular the use of single use gloves and cling film is quite extensive. With plastic taking 450 years to break down, our team and hotel staff were motivated for a change.
A trial period was set up with Biogone products where the hotel placed key targets on the quality of the products. Biogone products – the gloves and cling film surpassed all expectations and targets and have implemented across all outlets.
Does Biogone assist with Sofitel’s sustainability business objectives? What other measures do you implement to optimise your sustainability platform?
Sofitel Melbourne has also been working on another project partnering with Nature Observatory, who take our oyster and scallop shells and repurpose them back into Port Phillip Bay. This is rebuilding reefs – shellfish reefs – and encouraging the return of fish life to the area. Not only does it help us reduce our waste going to landfill but it is also a great opportunity for us to be part of a local environmental initiative.
Can you describe the customer service from Biogone?
Our representative John O’Connor has been a great partner and active contact since the beginning. He has worked alongside our team to ensure great customer service and a high level of understanding of the products and operation’s needs.
For example, originally, their glove offerings were only in black and green colours. As per our food safety guidelines, our kitchen teams have to wear blue gloves. John immediately found a solution to meet our request and created landfill biodegradable blue gloves for us.
Furthermore, last September, we organised an event where we invited key F&B people from all our AccorHotels properties in Victoria. This event was to present them some of our more Eco friendly initiatives. It was a great opportunity to present the Biogone products to all our Accor properties. When we asked Biogone to be part of this event, they didn’t hesitate a second and were a great supporter of the initiative.
Why are companies like Biogone so important for hotel businesses?
Companies like Biogone give the opportunity for hotels and other businesses to be more sustainable while keeping the same quality of products. They are working alongside industry to assist them with their environmental needs.
What do you think of Biogone and their contribution in producing more eco friendly products and alternatives?
Biogone offers a great range of products that are as good as non-biodegradable plastic items but their products will completely biodegrade into landfill within a few months or years, making them a more eco friendly alternative than regular plastics – something we are very conscious of at Sofitel.
Shop Biogone Products For Hotels and Businesses Today
For more information about what types of landfill-biodegradable plastic and packaging alternatives your hotel or business can use in their day-to-day operations, browse through our website or get in touch with our team at Biogone today!
