Sustainability at ISCOMS

At ISCOMS, sustainability is an essential concept. We recognise the urgent need to protect our planet and believe that small actions can create significant change. We strive to minimise our environmental footprint and promote social and sustainable practices, while inspiring people from all over the world.

Sustainability Stand

At ISCOMS, we promote sustainability through education and practice. Our sustainability stand offers a platform for dialogue and learning, where participants can explore innovative solutions and gain insights into sustainable practices in the (bio)medical world. This year, we are showcasing a new groundbreaking development in healthcare sustainability each day of the conference.

During the first day of the congress, attention will be given to sustainable innovations including redesigned cellulose mats and reusable isolation gowns. These initiatives are part of the NFU shortlist, which highlights promising alternatives to disposables in healthcare, aiming to reduce environmental impact without compromising safety or hygiene.

On the second day of the congress, the focus will shift to sustainable medicine use. At the sustainability stand, a professor of clinical pharmacy will address the switch from intravenous to oral admission of medicine to reduce the environmental impact. Besides, two nurses will share practical strategies for reducing medical waste within hospital settings.

On the final day of the congress, the ongoing No Risk, No Glove campaign will be featured. This initiative raises awareness about the unnecessary use of gloves in low-risk situations to reduce waste and improve hand hygiene. Participants can also take part in the Climate and Health Challenge game to learn more about healthcare and planetary health.

On the third day of ISCOMS, we delve into the theme of the day: ‘Global Health, equity, and justice’. This day’s content will address global issues encountered in healthcare.  The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are highlighted and shown at the bottom of this page. We encourage participants to connect, exchange ideas, and discover innovative approaches to make the (bio)medical world more sustainable.

One of the core principles at ISCOMS is our staunch opposition to food waste. At ISCOMS we adopt a strict vegetarian menu policy. Furthermore, all food is locally distributed to our event. By eliminating meat from our menus, we do not only reduce our carbon footprint but also advocate for a more sustainable food system.

In our quest to reduce paper waste, we have embraced technology as a powerful ally. The ISCOMS app serves as a digital hub for all event-related information. Besides, we have replaced printed posters with digital boards. By providing essential resources in digital format, we significantly diminish our reliance on printed materials and reduce our environmental impact. 

Celebrating Responsible Travel: As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, ISCOMS hosts a sustainability award to recognise and celebrate participants who demonstrate exemplary efforts in sustainable travel. All participants are invited to submit an essay outlining their sustainable travel practices aimed at minimising the carbon footprint of their journey to ISCOMS. By highlighting these efforts, we aim to inspire others and foster a culture of sustainability within the scientific community.

The University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) has signed the ‘Green Deal Duurzame Zorg 3.0’ agreement and is actively working towards becoming a circular and climate-neutral hospital by 2035. During ISCOMS, we will showcase various sustainability initiatives at UMCG, with informative posters outlining our strategy for a greener future.

Sustainability partner: ING Bank

Sustainable Development Goals
ISCOMS contributes to 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. Click on each goal to learn more about our contributions.