Marriott International to Honor Cage-Free Commitment After Global Campaign

(Bethesda, Maryland - Dec 7, 2018) – Marriott International has made a comprehensive global cage-free commitment following an aggressive public campaign by 59 major animal protection organizations. The new policy will be implemented by 2025 globally and applies to all egg products and all locations, will require annual progress reporting, and will be translated in all their markets worldwide.

Why this campaign? Marriott, the largest hospitality company in the world, made a cage-free commitment in 2013, with a timeline of being 100% cage-free by 2015. While cage-free has become the new global standard, Marriott failed to meet this deadline.

The international campaign was led by member organizations of the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition united to improve the welfare of chickens in factory farming worldwide. This global cage-free campaign targeting Marriott was the first of its kind—joining the forces of 59 influential animal protection organizations to hold a company accountable to their animal welfare commitment.

“Marriott’s commitment to exclusively source cage-free eggs in all of its locations worldwide will be monumental in reducing animal suffering. As the largest hotel chain on Earth, this policy reinforces that cage-free is the new standard for the global hospitality industry,” said Alexandria Beck, Director of Open Wing Alliance.

What’s the issue? The eggs in Marriott’s global supply chain came from farms that confine hens in tiny, filthy cages. These cages are so small and packed with birds that the hens can’t do anything that is natural or important to them. Often, their body parts are caught in the caging, which results in fractured or broken bones, deformities, and severe feather loss. Some hens, exhausted or unable to move, are trampled to death by their cage mates.

Is there progress? A wave of major companies in a variety of industries worldwide have announced plans to convert exclusively to cage-free eggs after working with Open Wing Alliance members and The Humane League. International commitments to end cruel cages are being made by some of the largest companies in the world, including Wyndham Worldwide, Accor Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, General Mills, Unilever, Nestle, Lidl, Aldi, Aramark, Sodexo, Mondelez, and Compass Group.

About the Open Wing Alliance The Open Wing Alliance is a global coalition of animal protection organizations focused on creating a unified front in our campaign to end the abuse of chickens worldwide. The alliance was founded in 2016 by The Humane League and has grown into a global force with 59 member organizations changing the way the world’s biggest companies treat animals and setting a new standard for corporate animal welfare policies locally—in every major market—and globally.

About The Humane League The Humane League is an international farm animal protection nonprofit that works to reduce animal suffering in our world. Since its founding in 2005, The Humane League has focused on effectively ending the worst abuses in factory farming, securing strong animal welfare commitments from major foodservice providers, restaurants, food manufacturers and hospitality leaders around the world, changing the lives for billions of farm animals suffering everyday.

Media Contact: Jessie Lingenfelter 1-803-730-2869 jessielingenfelter@gmail.com www.openwingalliance.org