Phoenix Convention Center Releases First Sustainability Report

For the first time in its history, the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues released a comprehensive Sustainability Report, underscoring its commitment to embedding environmentally responsible practices into daily operations. 

“This report shows our accomplishments in 2025 and provides our leadership a baseline to continue to improve upon year after year as we continue our focus on green practices,” said Assistant Director Bob Fingerman. “Our team made significant progress toward our goals by enhancing building performance, expanding waste reduction efforts and deepening partnerships supporting environmental stewardship.” 

The report highlights a year of notable achievements. Summer activity surged as the center hosted 174 events—outpacing 2024 and drawing larger crowds throughout the year. Despite the increase in events and attendees, overall utility consumption dropped in several key areas. Fingerman attributes the reduction to vigilant monitoring and the integration of emerging technologies designed to optimize resource efficiency. 

“Our electric use was down by 2.5% compared to 2024 and our water usage dropped by 9%,” Fingerman said. “The decrease in water use is crucial to us as our desert environment means we need to emphasize drought management as much as possible.”  

Waste diversion also saw major strides. A newly formalized food donation program in 2025 redirected 33 tons of packaged and prepared meals to Phoenix Dream Center and St. Mary’s Food Bank, significantly reducing compost volume. Building on that success, the Phoenix Convention Center is working to further improve its diversion rate through staff training, attendee education, and collaboration with event organizers to ensure proper waste sorting. 

“Like with most things, our commitment to sustainability is a team effort,” Fingerman said. “It requires everyone who works here, the event planners and the clients to center green goals and work to achieve them, together.”  

The inaugural Sustainability Report sets the stage for continued progress, reinforcing the center’s role as a leader in sustainable meeting and event practices.