Tourism industry must take lead role in plastic phase out

Fiji’s tourism industry is being called on to lead the phase-out of single-use plastics because the sector’s future competitiveness and the Pacific environment are at stake.

Regional leaders sounded a warning during a national workshop on phasing out single-use plastics in the Fiji Tourism Industry, held at Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi yesterday.

Industry and government stakeholders were told that tourism must take responsibility as both a contributor to plastic waste and a key driver of change.

Pacific Tourism Organisation chief executive officer Christopher Cocker said plastic pollution had become a defining threat to the region.

“We begin today by acknowledging a difficult reality: Our Pacific way of life is under threat,” Mr Cocker said.

“Plastic pollution is no longer a distant concern. It is a central pillar of the triple planetary crisis, alongside climate change and biodiversity loss.”

While the transition away from single-use plastics would be complex, delaying action would carry greater economic and environmental costs.

“We must be clear that phasing out single-use plastics is not an overnight task. Our reality involves complex logistical hurdles, policy misalignment, limited infrastructure, and a lack of affordable alternatives, incentives and funding,” Mr Cocker said.

“However, we also know that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of transition.”

Mr Cocker said tourism could not deflect responsibility despite wider waste challenges.

“While some may argue that tourism is not the only sector contributing to waste, we must admit that we are part of the problem,” he said.

“More importantly, we are a powerful part of the solution.”

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Pacific Ocean litter project coordination officer Seiuli Dwayne Bentley said the issue required coordinated regional action.

“The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is an interconnected phenomenon that is severely impacting life as we know it,” Mr Bentley said.

Pacific nations are also pushing for stronger global commitments on plastics.

The growing environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution, particularly in coastal and island communities, demand immediate and collective action.

The Pacific Ocean litter project supports Pacific Island countries to reduce single-use plastic marine litter in coastal environments, in alignment with key regional frameworks, including the Cleaner Pacific Waste Management and Pollution Control Strategy and the 2030 Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework.

The two-day workshop aims to align national and regional efforts and accelerate Fiji and the Pacific’s shift towards sustainable tourism practices.

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