Sustainability Commission

Established in 2023 the ESCMID Sustainability Commission is a dedicated working group for promoting sustainable practices across ESCMID’s activities and the wider CM/ID community, fostering approaches that protect planetary health, reduce environmental impact, and promote responsible, future-oriented science and healthcare. You can find more details in the dedicated SOP.

The ESCMID Sustainability Commission aims to:

Promote sustainability within ESCMID by embedding environmentally responsible practices across events, operations, and activities.
Support the CM/ID community in adopting sustainable approaches in research, clinical practice, and education.
Develop and share resources (guidelines, toolkits, best practices) to enable members and partners to act on sustainability.
Raise awareness and build capacity by engaging members through workshops, webinars, and collaborative initiatives.
Enable and promote further contributions to sustainability within and outside ESCMID, in line with ESCMID’s expertise and selected UN Sustainable Development Goals, through initiatives that may include but are not limited to financial or non-financial support.

To learn more about the sustainability measures in place at ESCMID Global, please visit the sustainability website of the congress.

ESCMID and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

To ensure that ESCMID is aligned with scientifically accepted global sustainability goals, the Society sought independent guidance. As a result, based on the values of ESCMID and in line with its activities, ESCMID’s sustainability priorities align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Activities

The ESCMID Sustainability Commission drives sustainability initiatives across ESCMID and beyond, in order to reduce the environmental impact of scientific activities, promote sustainable practices in research and healthcare, and advance education on sustainability. Through resources, events, partnerships, and collaborative projects, the Commission engages members and contributesto broader initiatives, fostering long-term change within the CM/ID community and in alignment with global sustainability goals.

ESCMID Global Green Travel Award

Apply

Deadline 02 March 2026

To celebrate the attendees who journey the farthest by train (or other public transport excluding plane) to join us, ESCMID is pleased to introduce the ESCMID Global Green Travel Award 2026.

The 10 congress attendees who will travel the greatest distance by public transport will each receive €100 in recognition of their commitment to sustainable travel.

Title	Date	Link
Laboratory Sustainability: From Bench to Bedside to Planet In collaboration with ESGVM	13:00 CET 04 December 2025	Go to replay
Every drop counts: Clean water, climate change and the fight against infectious diseases. In collaboration with WaterAid	12:00 CET 23 March 2026	Join Webinar

ESCMID’s sustainability operations aim to impact the climate both directly by supporting access to clean water in Low- and Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMICs), and indirectly by educating congress participants that the availability of clean water decreases the global burden of infectious diseases as well as antimicrobial resistance.

ESCMID Global has partnered with WaterAid, an international non-profit organisation committed to working towards a world where everyone has access to clean water, toilets, and hygiene facilities.

WaterAid works alongside communities living in poverty worldwide setting up entire systems that deliver clean water, decent toilets and hygiene education for millions. WaterAid collaborates with local partners to implement sustainable and long-term solutions and work locally, nationally and internationally to influence change on a large scale and empower communities to call on decision-makers to prioritise investments in clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Operating in 22 countries, WaterAid has made significant strides since its inception in 1981, reaching close to 30 million people with clean water and 30 million with toilets through its impactful work.