IHG has announced plans to remove all miniature bathroom amenities from all its properties by 2021.

According to the company, this would mean 200 million less miniatures per year, across 100 countries. The company says it will increasingly shift over to plastic-free alternatives such as refillable ceramic dispensers.

“It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly,” said IHG’s chief executive Keith Barr. “We know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly expect.”

The company has already committed to removing all single-use plastic straws from its operations by the end of 2019, removing 50 million single-use plastic straws from its waste stream each year as a result.

“We welcome IHG’s commitment to move to larger size toiletries as part of their efforts to reduce plastic waste,” said Jo Hendrickx, founder of Travel Without Plastic, which has worked with the company on reducing the use of plastics in its supply chain.

“The challenge in coordinating the logistics of such an approach across a global portfolio should not be underestimated, and we hope that it will serve as inspiration for other large organisations to follow their lead”.