ESCRS Sustainability Commitment & Vision
ESCRS is taking a proactive role in advancing sustainability in our field. Improving the sustainability of the Annual Congress is not only a moral duty, but also a strategic opportunity to enhance our performance, reputation, and innovation.
This year, we are reinforcing our commitment to sustainability by placing a strong emphasis on social responsibility and promoting inclusivity through various initiatives.
We are collaborating with our partners to work towards zero waste to landfill, zero net carbon emissions and becoming a role model for social responsibility. We are implementing measures to support the wellness of our attendees, contribute to local and global causes, restore ecosystems, and foster sustainability leadership in our industry.
Our vision for sustainability is ambitious, but achievable as we are not alone in this journey. We are collaborating with other organisations, institutions, and experts to learn from best practices and share our experiences. We are also engaging with our members, partners, and stakeholders to solicit their feedback and suggestions on how we can improve our sustainability performance.
We invite you to join us in this journey. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can make ESCRS a more sustainable society.
Filomena Ribeiro
President, ESCRS
Our Key Goals
We have developed a plan to guide every event for its community, meetings, events and activities, and those of its host cities.
With the help of the GDS-Movement and the contribution of key members and partners, a two-year sustainability strategy was developed.
Our bold, operational action plan, Mission Zero, has four sustainability goals that inform our preparation, execution and reporting:
Inspire Action
- Strengthen the promotions of the eyesustain.org initiative through partnerships with ASCRS and APACRS
- Recruit at least 5 new organisations into the Sustainability Partnership Programme
- Integrate YOFS to the sustainability activities of ESCRS
- Extend the overall Congress programme with new sustainability track sessions
Zero Waste
- Eliminate 90% of single use plastic, polystyrene and PVC
- Decrease waste sent to landfill to less than 15%
- Increase recycling to +50%
- +70% of all signage and branding to be made from more sustainable materials
Zero Emissions
- +25% of delegates to arrive by climate friendly transport
- +50% of food served is vegetarian or vegan
- 70% of food locally sourced (less than 160km)
- 100% of unavoidable carbon emissions to be offset
Socially Responsible
- Increase balance of female speakers to 40%
- Integrate at least 1 community/charity partnerships
- Integrate wellness activities throughout the Congress
Our Strategy
Our Principles
To achieve our goals, we have defined the following principles for the sustainable organisation of the Congress: