sustainability

Golf Canada is excited to share that it is renewing its commitment to improving the overall environmental sustainability of the RBC Canadian Open. Our ultimate goal: to welcome our athletes, attendees and volunteers to the most eco-friendly tournament on the PGA TOUR.

As the organizer of the third oldest continually run event on the PGA TOUR, Golf Canada is no stranger to playing the long game. We recognize this is an ambitious goal, and to that end, we have chosen to work towards this over a multi-year period.

Learn how to make a positive environmental impact during your visit to the RBC Canadian Open by viewing our “Know Before You Go” brochure below.

Know Before You Go

The RBC Canadian Open’s sustainability strategy is organized around three guiding principles that have been developed through organizational discovery and on-site observations. These guiding principles create a framework for integrating best practices throughout organizational structures and operational procedures.

We have set the following long term hard goals to focus our efforts for the coming years:

• Become a zero-waste event.
• Become a carbon neutral event.

Some shorter term goals for 2026 include:

Reduce Environmental Impacts:

Strengthen waste diversion through enhanced composting, expanded recycling (including materials like wood, scrim, and carpet), and Zero Waste Zones, while improving energy efficiency, exploring alternative fuels, and optimizing transportation and logistics to reduce emissions and resource use.

Exemplify Sustainability:

Integrate sustainable practices into operations by prioritizing low-waste and plant-forward food options, reducing single-use items, and embedding sustainability into hospitality offerings, ticketing, and overall event experience to demonstrate industry leadership.

Engage Stakeholders:

Work closely with vendors, partners, and community organizations to improve waste practices, support donations and local initiatives, and engage fans through education, signage, and communications that encourage participation in sustainability efforts.

Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open are committed to working with industry leaders in order to achieve all sustainability goals at the event.

Examples of sustainable initiatives taken on site in consist of:

• Offering all attendees shuttles to attend the championship through public transit, as well offering on-site bike valet to reduce emissions created by spectator travel.
• Eliminating 32,000 individual bottles of water by providing fan access to on-site water refill stations.

• $29,500 raised for the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation through Birdies for Trails.

• 1,973 kilograms of scrim diverted through a recycling program.

• Diverting 60% of tournament week waste through a back of house sorting program, compost program and plastic wrap collection. See below for a breakdown of the waste diversion.

• Educating hundreds of local students about environmentally friendly best practices through school field trip day.

• Producing a post-event sustainability report highlighting successes and goals for the future.