Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre meets its environmental, social and economic targets

The progress of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) towards its environmental, social and economic impact goals has been set out in the venue’s first Impact Report.

Replacing the venue’s former Sustainability Progress Report, the Impact Report sets out MCEC’s targets and measures performance across areas like climate change, waste and resource recovery, infrastructure, social procurement, equality, reconciliation and economic contribution.

Explaining the role that the venue plays in promoting sustainability, inclusion and economic growth, MCEC Chief Executive, Natalie O’Brien advised “as a major public asset and a leader in the events industry, MCEC can drive environmental change, amplify social impact through partnerships and inclusion strategies, and maximise our economic contribution through the events we host.”

The Impact Report shows that in 2022/23, MCEC met its targets for CO2 emissions, water savings, support of ecosystem health, social procurement, use of local suppliers, employee engagement in community support activities, and economic contribution to Victoria.

O’Brien noted “in 2022/23, we focused on some important projects to help achieve our sustainability, inclusion and social impact goals.

“We launched our Inclusion and Diversity Strategic Framework, started our Reconciliation Action Plan journey, launched a reusable coffee cup program and continued our support for prominent community organisations like OzHarvest and Yarra Riverkeeper Association.

“We aim to further our impact in Geelong with Nyaal Banyul.”

MCEC has also recently achieved Platinum Certification through EarthCheck, making it one of only six convention centres in the world to achieve this status.

MCEC Sustainability Manager, Samantha Ferrier added “MCEC has been benchmarking with EarthCheck since 2009 and this Platinum Certification recognises our substantial efforts in reducing our environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices within the events industry.

“Initiatives like our reusable coffee cup program, which prevented the use of hundreds of thousands of single use coffee cups last financial year, highlight our ongoing commitment to improving practices and finding new ways to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Click here to find out more about MCEC’s goals, actions and achievements in the Impact Report.