Sustainability initiatives at Australia's  convention centres

In Brisbane/Meanjin, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has developed a partnership with world-leading Brisbane-based textile recovery company BlockTexx. The arrival of the Centre’s new uniforms in 2023 prompted BCEC to take advantage of this innovative new technology which turns textiles into reusable resources to prevent them going to landfill. BlockTexx, which has received international acclaim, turns cotton and linen into cellulose, captures and reuses polyester, and separates out wool and other man-made fibres for use in a range of applications. The end product is returned to varying industries for use in packaging, building products and even pharmaceuticals. BCEC will continue to work with BlockTexx to recycle linen that is no longer fit for purpose, including its linen tablecloths and napkins.

Australia's two largest convention centres proudly feature menus that are firmly focused on sustainability and low environmental impact. 

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) is making a conscious effort to reduce its carbon footprint with its unique new low-carbon menu. Developed by an in-house team of culinary experts, the 2025 menu features six core menus with carbon footprint labels, highlighting low-impact options—a practice it began with its 2023 menu launch. The menu offers event organisers another avenue to make a positive difference to the environment and community, whilst also supporting First Nations-owned businesses. The venue also continues its commitment to local sourcing with a wine list exclusively from New South Wales.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has also introduced its 2025 “With Purpose” menu packages, offering cost-effective, eco-friendly options that highlight ethical sourcing and minimal waste. Featuring locally grown produce—80 per cent from Melbourne and Victoria—and onsite-grown micro herbs, the menus also include sustainable seafood, allowing event organisers to make a positive impact without sacrificing quality or flavour.

The  world’s first convention centre to achieve EarthCheck’s coveted Master certification, Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) is leading the charge when it comes to the management and reduction of waste to landfill, reducing total waste to landfill by an audited 99 per cent in 2022/23.

As part of its commitment to ongoing innovation in this space, ACC installed Adelaide/Tarntanya’s first WasteMaster – an innovative onsite food and organic waste recycling system which converts food waste to high value outputs including energy production, fertiliser and compost. The WasteMaster accelerates the decomposition of food waste – without water or additives – reducing total volume to a much smaller quantity of dry and odour-free residual organic material. The process reduces the weight and volume of food waste by up to 80 per cent after conversion, reducing equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 84 per cent. 

BCEC, an EarthCheck Platinum certified venue, also has an organic dehydrator which it has been using since 2021 to help reduce food waste by up to 85 per cent, turning it into nutrient-rich soil fertiliser for local parklands.

To prevent the use of more than one million disposable cups each year, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in Melbourne/Narrm has been trialling a reusable cup scheme in partnership with a local reusable cup supplier, Returnr. MCEC purchased 10,000 stainless steel cups to provide a convenient alternative to single-use coffee cups at catered corporate events. The cups, along with dedicated units via which they are collected and washed, have been trialled at several events since December 2021, and have been well received by delegates.

Cairns Convention Centre has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability by partnering with Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef to launch an innovative destination carbon offset program. In conjunction with Australian-based platform Reforest and environmental management organisation Terrain, the Reforest program is facilitating the revegetation of the Wongabel Mabi Rainforest near Cairns, which had previously been cleared for forestry and agriculture. Reforest calculates an event’s high-level carbon footprint and offers organisations options to offset their event by purchasing trees for planting in the local area, giving delegates a tangible way to offset their carbon footprint and give back to the destination they visit. The Centre’s new expansion opened in mid-2023, boasting an energy efficient design which features a living green façade optimised to reduce direct sunlight and heat gain.

In Western Australia’s capital of Perth/Boorloo, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC) offers a special water filtration system to reduce the need for bottled water at events. The Vestal water filtration system allows PCEC to offer premium still and sparkling water using water that is sourced and filtered onsite. The water is served in elegant, high quality reusable bottles made of flint glass, reducing the need for water bottle delivery, storage and disposal. 

Given Darwin/Garramilla’s close proximity to the Arafura Marine Park and the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, it’s particularly important to the Darwin Convention Centre to divert waste from landfill by ensuring its plastics are effectively recycled. The Centre partners with local community organisation Darwin Plastic Makers Space to collect and repurpose plastic bottle caps from events, transforming them into materials for hands-on educational art workshops. Plastic bottle lids were chosen due to their inability to be collected by large recycling companies due to their size.

In Queensland’s sunny Gold Coast, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre proudly achieved its EarthCheck Master accreditation in 2023. This internationally recognised accolade is testament to the Centre’s unwavering commitment to the highest environmental standards in the industry. The Centre is working on several sustainability initiatives including a dedicated waste segregation project, and recently introduced a paperless parking system.