05 Jun 2026
Joint feature by WM and GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation
DRIVING OFF
The 2026 edition of the WM Phoenix Open marked the 16th year that WM has been the title sponsor of one of the largest zero-waste1 sporting events in the world.
It was another great success - on and off the course - and a milestone for the event’s longstanding efforts to drive environmental responsibility and support the surrounding community.
It’s a play that combines commitment, continual improvement, creativity and innovation. Collaboratively planned and delivered. Taking on challenges. Ambitious about opportunities. Tracked, analyzed and shared to guide and inspire others.
Over time the event was built out from core themes of resource efficiency; responsible use of materials; and the minimization of waste. Including one of the deepest dives into Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions in sport. Accompanied by an increasing emphasis on initiatives focused on the promotion and restoration of both nature and water. All in tandem with a foundational service and support for community, through the incredible charitable efforts of The Thunderbirds as well as WM.
Here, we aim to share insights into some of the more significant programs and activities that take place. Our hope is that they stimulate thoughts about what can come next in events, golf and sport.
“The WM Phoenix Open’s position as a sustainability leader in golf and sport didn’t happen overnight. Since WM assumed the role of Title Sponsor in 2010, the tournament has served as a living laboratory, testing new ideas that push sustainability forward. Over the years, WM has piloted operational changes to help achieve ambitious sustainability goals and demonstrate to peers across the professional sports industry what’s possible.”
BEHIND THE GREEN
Materials matter. How does one of the largest sporting events succeed in diverting nearly all its waste from landfill? At the WM Phoenix Open, it looks like an operations team of 100 WM employees meeting at 5 a.m. daily. It looks like 4,800 compost and recycling bins strategically placed around the golf course. It looks like chefs, concessionaires, local temporary staff, and WM employees from around the country returning year after year — for their 10th, 12th, or even 16th consecutive tournament.
WM makes it clear to everyone working and attending the tournament that the goal is resource efficiency and zero waste. Strategic decisions are also made in support of that goal.
For example, in 2026 the grandstand on the 16th hole — one of the most iconic venues in golf — was made from 100% reusable materials. This new and improved structure will reduce the need for on-site construction and the amount of materials that are either donated or recycled after the tournament each year, minimizing environmental impact of procuring new materials annually.
Another way WM continues to evolve its zero-waste approach is by identifying opportunities to reduce consumption, where possible. For example, WM works with Phoenix-based Bold Reuse to bring reusable cups to certain venues at the tournament. The cups are collected in dedicated reuse containers, washed and reused again at the tournament.
Sustainability is at the core of WM. WM has embedded sustainability into the company’s operations through its three sustainability ambitions: Energy is RENEWABLE; Material is REPURPOSED; Communities are THRIVING. WM diligently tracks progress toward its goals across these three ambitions and publishes an annual WM Sustainability Report detailing progress. WM also publishes a separate sustainability report for the WM Phoenix Open to further demonstrate how WM's sustainability ambitions are implemented during the event. In 2026, the WM Phoenix Open received limited assurance on its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory, which is a third-party verification indicating a moderate level of confidence in the GHG emissions data.
Partnerships amplify impact. The WM Phoenix Open wouldn’t be the tournament it is today without the support of The Thunderbirds, GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, and its sponsors. The Thunderbirds have raised over $246 million for charities in Arizona since the Phoenix Open started in 1932. They’ve improved the lives of many Arizonians and give WM the honor of strengthening these efforts.
In 2024, WM launched the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow Fund℠, which helps support water restoration and access projects as well as a renewable energy initiative for Tribal Nations, and feeding the hungry in collaboration with Waste Not. In addition to WM, several other organizations dedicated to supporting the local community have also helped to sponsor it, helping to increase its impact.
Sports can leverage their platforms for change. Part of the fan experience at the WM Phoenix Open is contributing to the zero-waste initiative. Each year on Saturday, fans are encouraged to wear green because each fan sporting green results in a $1 contribution to the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow Fund℠. Jumbotrons around the 16th hole reinforce zero waste messaging throughout the day. This year, fans also posed for photos in front of an art installation shaped like the 16th hole grandstand that gradually filled with bottles and cans as the week went on. WM uses every touchpoint to remind fans that this tournament is more than a sporting event — it’s an opportunity to learn and take sustainable habits home.
Playing for the next generation. A key component of the WM Phoenix Open’s forward-thinking approach is supporting youth golf. Dream Day, which occurs on the Tuesday of the WM Phoenix Open week, is the pinnacle event for the First Tee – Phoenix School and Community Program. PGA TOUR professionals and other sports icons, volunteers, dozens of The Thunderbirds, and nearly every local professional sports team’s mascot participate in this youth golf clinic and trick shot show. For many in this group of almost 500 grade school students, this field trip is the first time they have been to a golf course.
You can see the tournament’s progression over the years on page 4 of the 2025 WM Phoenix Open Sustainability Report.
TEN YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABLE GOLF
For more than a decade, this work has been shaped and supported through a close collaboration between WM and the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation. Together, the organizations have used the WM Phoenix Open as a long‑term case study to demonstrate how credible and comprehensive standards, combined with robust tracking and transparent reporting can drive continual improvement — not just for one tournament, but as a model for sustainability leadership across golf.
GEO is an international non-profit, based in Scotland, that for 20 years has been entirely dedicated to helping accelerate sustainability in and through golf. Working collaboratively across the amateur and professional parts of golf, the Foundation has developed a platform of resources that helps engage, support, measure and promote a growing community of leaders across the sport.
Amongst those industry resources are an industry standard for sustainable golf tournaments, and accompanying certification – for leadership in sustainable golf. The only sports-based sustainability system to have attained ‘Code Compliance’ from the International Social and Environmental Labelling Alliance (ISEAL). An added level of assurance that credible standards are being delivered by both venues and tournaments.
GEO certification provides an additional layer of credibility and structure, translating these corporate commitments into golf-specific sustainability standards that can be independently evaluated and consistently applied year after year.
Over the years, the WM Phoenix Open has pursued multiple third‑party accreditations and validations — including zero-waste validation, carbon and water restoration credits, and GEO Certification for leadership in sustainable golf. Together, these mechanisms reinforce the tournament’s commitment to independent verification and continuous improvement, while positioning GEO Certification as a cornerstone for sustainability credibility within the sport of golf.
“There is no doubt that the WM Phoenix Open has been one of the early pioneers in sustainable golf tournaments, and can take credit for helping spark what has now become a much wider movement across golf’s leading Tours and tournaments. That leadership multiplier, plus the actual real world changes in impact, are what inspires the Foundation to keep building custom programs and tools for the golf industry”.
“The WM Phoenix Open’s sustainability leadership has been catalytic to what we are now doing across the Tour, and an inspiration and example to other events. We are grateful for that leadership and for having WM as our inaugural PGA Tour Official Sustainability Partner”.
NEXT TEE
Looking ahead, WM and GEO remain focused on continuing to raise the bar. Continual improvement points derived from the verification and certification process continue to prompt new ideas, plans, behavior changes and technological solutions.
We’re constantly exploring new innovations, strengthening our data quality, and sharing lessons learned to support sustainability leadership across professional golf.
As the WM Phoenix Open enters its next chapter, the collaboration reflects a shared belief that long term commitment, credible standards, and balanced communications are essential to driving meaningful change.
Change that can lead to real improvements in environmental quality and people’s lives.
1 A generally accepted definition of "zero waste" requires diverting at least 90% of waste from landfill.
