THE CIRCULAR STAY: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok becomes first hotel to partner with net-zero Tawainese beauty brand O’right for hotel amenities
Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok has become the first hotel property to partner with carbon neutral Taiwanese beauty brand O’right, the world’s first certified net-zero beauty company.
The initial two-year partnership between Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok and O’right will offset 347,875.4 kilograms of lifestyle carbon, equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of 31,626 twenty-year-old trees.
PHOTO: The Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok x O’right amenity collection’s signature magnolia scent was chosen to symbolize purity and elegance. (Photo Credit: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok)
O'right's entire product lifecycle is chemical-free, ensuring the amenities are friendlier to water systems, and powered by renewable energy. Furthermore, the packaging is manufactured from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, and recyclable as well.
The collaboration introduces a sustainability-focused guest journey across the hotel’s 360 rooms and common areas that replaces standard bath products with vegan, USDA-certified, biobased alternatives and eliminates traditional petrochemicals in room amenities. (Photo Credit: Anne Somanas)
“It took us a full year to get this project moving because, for a large company like IHG, we must ensure all certifications are in place. Many products claim to be net-zero or chemical-free, but few actually deliver on those promises. We are extremely proud to be the first international hotel working with O’Right on this initiative,” said Patrick Both, general manager of Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok and and director of operations, luxury & lifestyle, IHG Hotels & Resorts Thailand.
Patrick Both, general manager of Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, speaks at the O’right launch event at the Maa-Lai Library. (Photo Credit: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok)
Both noted that the transition was carefully managed to ensure the luxury guest experience remained intact. “It is vital that the guest journey is not affected when we work with sustainable products. We ensured it is 100 per cent safe, but more importantly, we are sending a message that we are doing the right thing,” he added.
O’right founder and CEO Steven Ko, described as an “invisible champion” of green technology, has invested significantly in environmental advocacy, including a US$1 million personal expedition to Greenland in 2023 to document the climate crisis. The resulting film, “Melting Greenland,” was screened at UN COP in 2024.
His firm was the first Taiwanese SME to achieve net-zero status, utilizing RE100-compliant manufacturing processes since 2018 and has also achieved 100% renewable electricity usage ahead of schedule in 2023.*
*RE100-compliant manufacturing refers to industrial operations that have committed to, or achieved, sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources, in alignment with the technical criteria established by the RE100 initiative. (Photo Credit: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok)
The launch was also attended by the honorary president of the Thai-Taiwan Business Association, Taiwan’s representative (ambassador) to Thailand Peter Sha-li Lan (藍夏禮) from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and featured a sustainable and carbon-friendly lunch, focusing on locally sourced and pescatarian ingredients.
Pictured: SIAM PRAWN CROWN Amuse-Bouche - Golden river prawn “Tom Yum” seaweed tartlet, sustainable Thai caviar, kaffir lime essence, Mae Salong chrysanthemum pollen, and organic edible flowers by Chef Thanatpol Jarunavin, executive sous chef - Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok at the property’s Stock Room restaurant. (Photo Credit: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok)
"Hotels have a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to shape sustainable habits through offering superior experiences, not compromise," added Both.
"By partnering with O'right, we see no distinction between luxury and sustainability. When guests experience the amenities in their room, they're not being lectured about sustainability; they're simply enjoying a beautiful product that happens to be better for the planet. That's when mindsets shift and one hotel's choice can create ripple effects to become a culture-shaper, not just a trend-follower."
Meanwhile, Ko noted: "From clean formulations to ensuring our packaging is responsibly sourced, we live our commitment to build a circular, sustainable future for beauty. Since 2011, we've proven that zero-carbon products can outperform conventional ones. When travellers experience responsible products that feel genuinely premium, the entire industry has to evolve. That's the transformation we're here to accelerate."
QUICK FACTS: All O’right products are…
- *Carbon neutral (a world-first for the beauty industry)
- *Vegan & non-animal tested
- *Chemical free with clean formulations
- *Officially certified by the U.S. government's USDA Biobased program
- *Manufactured with 100% renewable electricity usage & RE100-compliant processes
- *Packaged in materials that utilize 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic (transformed from everyday household waste rather than newly manufactured materials)
- *Offered in recyclable packaging that is clearly labeled by plastic type