• Melco recently hosted the “Melco Sustainability Culinary Competition 2025”.
• Melco’s use of the NORDAQ water filtration system has prevented the use of 16.5 million single-use plastic bottles.

Melco recently hosted the “Melco Sustainability Culinary Competition 2025” to promote ethical and sustainable culinary practices among colleagues. The event saw 30 chefs from across the company’s integrated resorts compete in categories including Western Cuisine, Chinese Cuisine and Desserts.

The competition challenged participants to create innovative dishes using sustainable ingredients and cooking methods. Grouped in pairs, participants were judged by internal chefs and members of Melco’s sustainability team on taste, presentation, ingredient choices and sustainability knowledge.

The competition’s dishes showcased the chefs’ talent – from their carefully sourced ingredients ranging from sustainably sourced seafood, local seasonal vegetables and cage-free eggs to their creative cooking methods.

Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, said, “We gladly celebrate the wonderful talent and contributions of our colleagues for your dedication to culinary excellence and carrying out the best sustainable culinary practices.”

Waste reduction efforts continue to scale at Melco’s integrated resorts, with their NORDAQ water filtration system preventing the use of 16.5 million single-use plastic bottles since implementation.

Today, the NORDAQ system enables the company to serve filtered water in refillable glass bottles in nearly all guest rooms of their integrated resorts, supplemented with water refilling dispensers in all heart-of-house and employee-only areas.

Melco’s “Clean Plate Challenges” have turned plate waste into a competition. In 2024, weekly challenges had average participation rates of between 86% and 97% across City of Dreams, Studio City and Altira Macau, and plate waste reduced by 9% at all Melco properties in Macau and Manila in 2024 compared to the previous year.

In Macau, a weekly Waste Separation Game Booth lets colleagues test their recycling smarts. After demonstrating that they had successfully cleaned their plates, colleagues could take a quiz about recycling and the proper handling of various packaging types to win prizes.

Melco has invested in on-site composters to divert food waste from the waste stream and process into nutrient-rich compost. Over 1,000 tons of food waste has been transformed into compost since 2020 where it supports the landscaping across properties. In 2025, Macau properties have donated excess compost to a local partner to support their community garden.

Furthermore, since 2019, Melco’s chefs have refined menus for guests and colleagues and engaged suppliers to provide produce that meets their Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Guidelines.

These guidelines prioritize seafood certified to internationally recognized schemes and support suppliers collaborating with local, small-scale fishers to adopt sustainable practices.

In 2024, 18% of seafood purchased by weight across their properties globally came from sustainable sources.

Similarly, 100% of Melco’s food and beverage outlets in Macau, Manila and Cyprus serve cage-free eggs.