WMO

This year, WM celebrates its 15th anniversary as title sponsor of the WM Phoenix Open, one of the world’s largest certified zero-waste sporting events. From recovering more than 15.17 million pounds of material for its next best use, to addressing hunger in the community and fundraising record donations for Arizona charities, over the years the WM Phoenix Open has demonstrated how a major sporting event can minimize impacts on the environment and benefit the community. 

This year, WM and tournament host, The Thunderbirds, are further advancing the tournament’s dual missions of leadership in sustainability and charitable giving with the new WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow FundSM, which supports communities across Arizona. The 2024 beneficiaries of the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow FundSM will include water restoration projects through Change The Course, an initiative working to ensure clean and reliable water, renewable energy initiatives on Tribal Nations, and efforts to eliminate food waste and address hunger through Waste Not, a local non-profit organization.

“The WM Phoenix Open presents a unique opportunity to support our communities and demonstrate our brand promise -- Always Working For A Sustainable Tomorrow,” says\ Mike Watson, senior vice president and chief customer officer, WM. “This is our 15th year working with the Thunderbirds to bring this incredible event to life while raising money for local charities, and I’m proud to say our shared commitment to making a positive impact on our communities and the environment has never been stronger.” 

Tournament attendees can help raise money for the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow FundSM by wearing green on Saturday, Feb. 10, the tournament’s annual Green Out Day. For every person who wears green to the 3rd round, $1 will be donated to the fund. In addition, attendees can participate in a raffle at the WM Green Scene, located in the Fan Zone. The winner will receive 50 percent of the raffle pot, and the other 50 percent will be donated to the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow FundSM.

Since WM became title sponsor in 2010, the tournament has raised more than $124 million for local charities, including $14.5 million raised from the 2023 tournament alone.  

Soon after becoming the title sponsor in 2010, WM imagined an event where nothing goes to waste. By 2013, the WM Phoenix Open was a zero-waste event with all materials either recycled, composted, donated, reused or used to recover energy and create fuel. Today, the WM Phoenix Open is a recognized leader in sustainability in sports and shares best practices with other sports leagues, teams and venues.