Sustainability is increasingly recognized as a shared responsibility across the scientific community. ISPE has placed sustainability high on its agenda and incorporated it into the Strategic Plan, recognizing that scientific exchange should go hand in hand with environmentally responsible practices. To support this commitment, the Sustainability Committee works to integrate sustainable thinking into the Society, by examining and reducing the carbon footprint of all activities and events.
Currently, the Committee focuses on the 2026 ISPE Annual Meeting in Milan. While international conferences are essential for scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange, they can also have a considerable environmental impact. We therefore work closely with meeting organizers to identify and implement practical measures that help make the event more sustainable, while maintaining its accessibility and scientific value. Recent efforts have focused on reducing waste, encouraging more responsible resource use, and promoting more sustainable logistical choices during the meeting. We encourage all participants to contribute to making the meeting as sustainable as possible, for example by bringing their own water bottles and using public transport to travel within Milan.
Recognizing that travel contributes significantly to the environmental footprint of international conferences, ISPE has also expanded opportunities for virtual participation in recent years. This helps make the meeting more accessible while also providing options that may reduce the need for travel. During the 2026 Annual Meeting, virtual participants will have an increased number of sessions that can be attended online and all posters will be accessible through the website and event app.
While many of these efforts have initially focused on the Annual Meeting, the Sustainability Committee aims to broaden this work to all Regional ISPE Meetings in the near future, supporting their organizers in identifying opportunities to incorporate sustainable practices that are appropriate to their local context.
These initiatives reflect ISPE’s commitment to embedding sustainability into its core activities. At the same time, the Sustainability Committee views this work as an ongoing process. By continuing to evaluate current practices, learn from experience, and explore new opportunities, the committee aims to support ISPE in ensuring that its scientific meetings remain both impactful and environmentally responsible.
We very much welcome input from the ISPE community. We will reflect on all implemented measures through a post-meeting survey sent to all participants. In the meantime, if you have feedback on current initiatives or ideas for future efforts, please do not hesitate to get in touch or become a member of the Committee.
The Committee is currently chaired by Dr. Maarten Lambert (m.lambert@uu.nl) and Dr. Chloé Smit serves as Vice-Chair (chloe.smit@uts.edu.au).
