First Mile Initiative
Testing new approaches to reducing waste
Hurtigruten Svalbard is taking part in the First Mile Initiative, an EU-funded project exploring how behavioural approaches can help tourism businesses and travellers make choices with a lower environmental impact.
The project brings together 80 selected tourism businesses from France, Italy, Norway and Slovenia to test practical measures and learn more about how small changes in the way choices are presented can influence behaviour.
For Hurtigruten Svalbard, participating in First Mile gives us an opportunity to test initiatives within our own operations and contribute to a wider European project exploring ways to reduce the environmental impact of tourism.
Reducing single-use plastic bottles
One of the measures we have introduced through the project is filtered water dispensers at Radisson Blu Polar Hotel. Guests can use the dispensers to refill reusable water bottles with cold, filtered water rather than purchasing or using additional single-use bottles during their stay.
Water dispensers have also been installed in our office spaces for employees. The aim is simple: to make refilling a reusable bottle an easy and accessible option and, in doing so, reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles used across our operations.
Learning through the First Mile Initiative
First Mile focuses on testing behaviour-based approaches in real tourism settings. By taking part, we can test measures within our own operations, assess how guests and employees respond and share experiences and findings with the wider project.
The insights gathered across participating businesses can help build a better understanding of which approaches are effective and where changes can be made.
Want to learn more about the project, its participating organisations and the approaches being tested?
