Karisma Hotels and Resorts is eliminating the production and distribution of plastic straws across all of its properties.

As part of its most recent sustainability initiative, Karisma Hotels & Resorts will only offer straws to guests upon request in an effort to eliminate single-use plastic products and the detrimental effect they have on the ecosystem.

Furthermore, as of September 2018, Karisma will completely replace all plastic straws with straws made of biodegradable materials, while still maintaining the standard of only offering straws for frozen beverages or upon request.

“The elimination of plastic straws across all of our resorts is the latest initiative in Karisma Hotels & Resorts’ long-standing commitment to social responsibility and building an environmentally-friendly culture among our resorts, partners and guests,” said Lyn Santos Rodriguez, Karisma’s Director of Sustainability. “We continuously strive to reduce our eco-footprint and preserve the incredible natural beauty of our destinations, while maintaining the highest level of hospitality and offering memorable vacation experiences to all our guests for years to come.”

Karisma, which owns and manages properties in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, has taken a firm stance on sustainability since its inception in 2000 and says the straw ban is just their latest effort to help the environment.

In 2013, Karisma created the Passion for Sustainability Program, which includes initiatives promoting conscious tourism, preserving ecosystems, protecting wild and endangered species, and responsibly using natural resources.

The Passion for Sustainability Program includes several noteworthy initiatives, most remarkably the creation of the world’s largest artificial reef, Kan-Kanán, in Riviera Maya, Mexico, which was commissioned by the owners of Karisma’s El Dorado Spa Resorts. Stretching longer than the Brooklyn Bridge, Kan-Kanán – meaning guardian of the sea in Mayan – covers more than a mile of coastline parallel to the coast of Punta Brava in Mexico. It was built by a team of expert engineers, environmentalists, architects and specialized divers at a cost of $1 million as a monumental solution to the deterioration of existing marine systems. It is now the new home to thousands of sea species and is protecting the coast from natural erosion.

Karisma is also home to the Turtle Conservation Program. Aiming to protect four specific species of sea turtles that inhabit Karisma’s beaches in the Mexican Riviera region, the program builds registered turtle camps at El Dorado Casitas Royale and El Dorado Seaside Suites - the two hotels with the highest incidence of nesting females. In 2017 alone, these camps successfully released 34,175 Blanca and Caguama sea turtle hatchlings.