Pacific Tourism Organization initiates drive to eliminate single-use plastics

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The plastic utensils that come with your flight meals may soon be history. The plastic bags from your airport shopping will be a thing of the past, as well.

A regional organization has rolled out a landmark campaign to toss single-use plastics and switch to reusable, circular and more sustainable alternatives.

The Pacific Tourism Organization launched its "This for That" initiative at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange 2026, the region's signature travel trade event, held Wednesday in Nadi, Fiji.

Viliame Gavoka, deputy prime minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in Fiji, said the campaign is aimed at eliminating single-use plastics from the Pacific tourism industry.

The organization noted that the Pacific islands, renowned for their breathtaking beauty, are disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution. The tourism industry, a vital economic driver for many island nations, also contributes significantly to the region's waste management challenges.

The 'This for That' campaign directly addresses this issue by providing a clear, practical pathway for the tourism sector to become a leader in sustainability.

Christopher Cocker, CEO of the regional organization, noted that the ocean's health is intrinsically linked to the health of the islands' main industry.

"The 'This for That' campaign is a call to action for all of us to take responsibility and make conscious choices," Cocker said. "By choosing 'this' – a sustainable substitute or reusable alternative – over 'that' – a single-use plastic item – we are choosing a more resilient and prosperous future for our Pacific nations.”

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The campaign encourages governments, businesses and communities across the Pacific to join the movement, which is supported by a comprehensive toolkit for phasing out single-use plastics in Pacific Island countries’ tourism industry, designed to help tourism organisations in implementing a Certification Framework.

The toolkit provides practical tools, templates, and guidance to transition to single-use plastic-free operations, with the ambitious long-term goals, aiming for a 100 percent reduction in SUPs from procurement baselines by 2035.

The initiative is led by SPTO and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, through the Australian government funded Pacific Ocean Litter Project.

“It is important that tourism as the largest economic sector in our region and its stakeholders continue to show not only economic but also social and environmental leadership and stewardship,” said Sefanaia Nawadra, SPREP director general.

She said green initiatives show how regional collaboration can translate sustainability commitments into practical action.

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