Written by Nikki Zimbler.
Major hotel chains have finally realized that most of their guests loathe the small plastic bottles of shampoo, shower gel and body lotions in their bathrooms. They are empty in two or three squeezes — the bottle gets thrown away and a replacement appears the next day — bottle after bottle, day after day. It’s wasteful on a colossal scale. Conscientious guests started complaining a long time ago but there was a very slow reaction from most of the big hotels.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem and it’s having a detrimental effect on the environment, as well as animals both on land and in oceans. Plastic waste is everywhere you look. A staggering 8.8 million tons of plastic are dumped into oceans every single year. This material takes 400 years to decompose and whilst recycling happens in certain countries, the majority of it remains in its original state, discarded and dumped on every continent.
So when the Marriot chain announced that it would finally be banning their little plastic bottles in every one of their bathrooms, it was greeted with a positive reaction. But there is a major problem with this — it’s going to take a very long time to implement the plan. Mother Earth needs changes to happen much quicker than that.
Another large hotel group, the InterContinental is also finally going to do away with the small plastic bottles, replacing them with bulk-size dispensers. They plan to save 200 million bottles from being discarded every year from their 843,000 rooms worldwide. But again, that’s not going to be fully functional until 2021.
This chain operates in more than 100 countries and transporting the bathroom supplies to their 5,656 hotels takes a massive toll on the environment. Planes, trains and automobiles are used to get the products from the manufacturers to every single one of their hotels. Unable to put 100 producers in each of the 100 countries, Planet Earth is the unfortunate loser.
When a small, boutique hotel opened in Siem Reap, Cambodia and operated with a zero plastic waste policy, people started to pay attention. Proving that it could be done, other boutique hotels in the area started to implement the same plan. They did it to help the environment, but the unexpected bonus was that clients started to book a stay with them purely because they agreed with and appreciated their environmental, social and local efforts.
Jaya House River Park opened in 2016 and quickly became the #1 hotel in Siem Reap on TripAdvisor. People loved their mission to only hire a local workforce and provide water and toiletries in glass bottles. Its corporate social responsibility is one of the highest ever seen and guests are flocking there to enjoy a high-quality stay with little impact on the environment.
The attention to detail at the hotel is second to none, and the management team has now hit upon an idea to launch its own range of skincare and body products in glass packaging. Jaya Organics was born in a few short months and it’s already changing the rules.
The entire range is made by hand in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In keeping with Jaya’s hotel policy, the two partners being Jaya Organics will only hire Cambodian employees. This helps to create local jobs and provide additional education to its staff.
Dennis Reinhard is the man behind Jaya Organics. He has worked closely with a French beauty product creator to expand the range even further. One thing is for certain, it’s sure to be a hit with all who visit the boutique shop.
Dennis, who was born and raised in Indonesia, worked as a journalist before coming to Siem Reap and falling in love with the country and its people. He quickly decided to stay and work with those who shared his passion for supporting the local community and providing high-quality goods.
The Jaya Organics team has worked hard to create products that are kind to your skin and with as little waste as possible. Dennis explains why this is so important to the company by saying, “There are a lot of beauty products that we use every day and after a short time, you throw it away which is a huge waste. Imagine how much waste we create in a year. Following in Jaya River Park’s footsteps, we wanted to do something that was environmentally friendly. It’s part of Jaya’s brand and that’s why we thought glass was a good option.”
Everything is made in-house to reduce costs and environmental impact, as well as cutting down on overseas transportation pollution. The ingredients are all sourced locally and extracts such as moringa are added to enhance the quality and feel of the lotions, hair products and moisturizers. Moringa is locally known as the ‘Miracle Tree’ as it is rich in both antioxidants and anti-aging properties.
There is a local economic boost in and around Siem Reap as farmers in the area are benefitting from providing Jaya Organics with their many natural and locally sourced ingredients.
One of the big attractions of Jaya Organics is that they are 100% natural, cruelty-free and contain no harsh chemicals. Cambodian essential oils ensure a soft feel and natural fragrance throughout the entire range. The local ingredients create such a unique combination and the team prides itself on manufacturing everything within the country.
Dennis and the rest of the team are extremely focused on ways to make Jaya Organics as harmless as possible to the environment, especially as the country struggles to dispose and recycle the vast amount of waste left by tourists each year. The company wants to set up an option in the shop for customers to refill their empty containers, or swap their empty bottles for new ones. Jaya Organics knows that more and more people are trying to reduce waste and use products that don’t have a huge impact environmentally.
Nowadays, people are actively seeking companies who are working hard to protect the planet. Jaya Organics is delighted to be able to supply a beauty range that promotes this concept of conscientious shopping and minimal global pollution. The shop will stock a variety of products including a body scrub, face moisturizer, nourishing hair oil and an intensive night cream.
The launch of the range coincides with the opening of the newest Jaya hotel, named Jaya House Angkor Park, at the end of the year. There is also a plan to launch an online shop in time.
Dennis and his partner, Christian de Boer are aware that the big hotel chains can’t follow suit due to the sheer scale of their operations. Being a boutique hotel definitely has its advantages, taking only a short time to turn ideas into reality. Dennis says, “We acknowledge that it might be harder for the big brands to do the same as we have done with Jaya Organics.”
The Jaya Organics range is sure to appeal to many people across the world and visitors to Jaya House hotels in Siem Reap are sure to be impressed with both the quality and brand concept. By focusing on the social, economic and product benefits, Jaya Organics has shown how a little boutique hotel can make a big difference.
Exciting times ahead for this local company with global ideas.
This article was also published on writer’s Medium page that can be accessed here.