ESCRS Sustainability Commitment & Vision
At ESCRS, sustainability is more than a policy. It is a shared value that guides how we imagine the future of ophthalmology. Making our Annual Congress more sustainable is not only something we should do; it is an opportunity to lead with purpose, integrity, and innovation.
Over the past years, we have made encouraging progress. This year, we are taking further steps to strengthen that commitment. We are refining our practices, improving our environmental performance, and ensuring that our congresses reflect the highest standards of inclusivity, accessibility, and efficiency.
None of this can happen alone. Together with our partners — Excel London and a carefully selected group of suppliers — we are working toward ambitious but important goals: eliminating waste to landfill, reducing carbon emissions on the path to net zero, and upholding strong principles of social responsibility. Beyond the events themselves, we are supporting long-term initiatives that restore ecosystems, strengthen local communities, and inspire sustainability leadership across our field.
Real progress happens when expertise, collaboration, and shared values come together. I warmly invite ophthalmologists, institutions, industry partners, and sustainability advocates to join us in driving meaningful, evidence-based change for our profession, for our planet, and for the patients who rely on us.
Burkhard Dick | ESCRS President
Our Key Goals
Through collaboration with the GDS-Movement and the invaluable input of key stakeholders and partners, we have created a multi-year sustainability strategy to guide the ESCRS Congress 2026.
Our partnership with the GDS-Movement began in 2022, and since then, we have been working closely together to embed sustainability into the core of our planning and decision-making processes.
Our proactive Mission Zero initiative includes four sustainability objectives that lead our planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts:
- Inspire Action
- Towards Zero Waste
- Towards Zero Emissions
- Social Responsibility
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Our following KPIs help us stay on track and guide our sustainability efforts:
Inspire Action
- Strengthen the promotions of the eyesustain.org initiative through partnerships with ASCRS and APACRS
- Recruit at least 2 new organisations into the Sustainability Partnership Programme
- Provide inclusive training opportunities for all members at the Congress
- Ensuring balanced representation of different continents in the overall programme
- Increase awareness of health inequity among underserved communities through targeted educational campaigns
Towards Zero Waste
- Eliminate 90% of single use plastic, polystyrene and PVC
- Reduce waste sent to landfill to below 10% of total waste generated
- Achieve a recycling rate of +60% across all waste streams
- Ensure that a minimum of 80% of event signage and branding materials are produced using sustainable or recyclable materials
Towards Zero Emissions
- Achieve +15% of delegate arrivals via lower-emission transport options
- Ensure that +50% of all food served is vegetarian or vegan
- Source +70% of food locally, defined as within a 160 km radius
- Offset 100% of unavoidable carbon emissions associated with the Congress
Social Responsibility
- Increase balance of female speakers to 40%
- Integrate at least 1 community/charity partnerships
- Enhance delegate wellbeing by integrating accessible wellness opportunities into the Congress experience
Our Strategy
Our Principles
To achieve our goals, we have defined the following principles for the sustainable organisation of the Congress: