Sustainable Development Goals

SDG Publishers compact logo with colorful blocks in a circle on a white background

In December 2020, IOS Press became a signatory of the United Nations SDG Publishers Compact and in doing so committed to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction. Details about our publications and targets will be added to this section in quarterly updates.

Commitment to the SDG Publishers Compact

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs have seen numerous sustainability transformations emerging. From now up to 2030, we must take urgent action. As outlined on the UN website: “We must be the generation to end extreme poverty, win the race against climate change, and conquer injustice and gender inequality. We will shine a light on solutions that expand access and demonstrate the possibilities of ideas. We will drive sustainable innovation.”

How does we contribute to this and advocate for sustainable practices in relation to our membership in the SDG Publishers Compact? Primarily in the sharing of ideas and in relation to the content that is published. Among the publications in the IOS Press catalog, you can find content that supports the following SDGs in particular:

  • SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
  • SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation
  • SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy
  • SDG 13 – Climate action
  • SDG 14 – Life below water
  • SDG 15 – Life on land
  • SDG 16 – Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Click the visuals for more information:

SDG 3 good health and well being (grass green visual)

SDG 6 clean water and sanitation (aqua blue visual)

SDG 7 affordable and clean energy (sunshine yellow visual)

SDG 13 climate action (deep green visual)

SDG 14 life below water (sea blue visual)

SDG 15 life on land (lime green visual)

SDG 16 peace, justice, and strong institutions (deep blue visual)

Progress on any SDG-related projects or special issues will be detailed here in due course or highlighted on the individual journal pages.

Stay Updated

Content relating to SDGs: Visit the highlighted SDG content page! 

TARGETS

Quarterly updates on actions being taken arising from the SDG working group's recommendations.

Q2 2023 Update

The Editors-in-Chief of all journals published by IOS Press received a report with information about the SDGs and actions to support this initiative, including the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement.

Q1 2023 Update

In the first quarter of 2023, the SDG working group worked on reports to be sent to the Editors-in-Chief of journals supporting the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement. The list of supporting journals now includes:

Meanwhile, two blog posts relating to the SDGs were published in Labs:

Q4 2022 Update

The SDG working group is happy to share that we are applying the search query strings developed by Scopus to find content related to the SDGs using LD Connect. All journals have been screened for SDG-related content, which automatically shows up on journal pages. Browse our catalog to see this new feature. We continue to work towards having the support of as many journals as possible for the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement. The list of supporting journals now includes:

Q3 2022 Update

In Q3 2022, our commitment to the SDGs has progressed when we began working with two organizations. We gained representation on the STM Integrity Hub: Paper Mills Working Group, focusing on research integrity in scholarly publishing. We also began working with Greencast to assess our carbon footprint, taking the first steps to hopefully joining The Climate Pledge. The editors of five journals also pledged support for the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement, including:

In September 2022, a report by the SDG working group was published covering progress to date:

Q2 2022 Update

We began investigating ways we can communicate which SDGs are covered in our journal content, continued to support and advise editors as they take action to improve geographical and gender equality for their journals, and worked to gain support for the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement for a number of journals, including:

A Labs blog post was also published that links to SDG 10 (reducing inequalities):

Q1 2022 Update

Update Report and Presentation: The SDGs working group took part in the IOS Press 35th anniversary celebrations to publicize the important work we are doing in this area. See more about this event here or click the links:

We gathered the geographic location of our authors through our metadata, powered by LD Connect, and updated our records for 2021. This is in relation to our Diversity and Inclusion Statement (DIS), keeping editors informed in efforts to lead to improved geographical equality, also on the Editorial Boards. During this quarter, a number of editors announced DIS support for their journals, including:

Q4 2021 Update

Focusing on our priorities for SDG 12 (responsible consumption), we have committed to drastically reducing the amount of paper that we print and are investigating moving to a more ecologically-sound approach of prioritizing electronic services. During this quarter, a number of editors announced support for the IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement for their journals, including:

 

Q3 2021 Update

We began considering actions relating to responsible consumption and production, as well as working with partners/suppliers with a common goal of sustainability. We joined with 45+ organizations in a joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing with an aim to pool our resources, expertise, and insight to accelerate research culture change. A number of editors began taking action to improve geographical and gender equality for their journals, as listed in our quarterly update.

View: Q3 update

Journals supporting IOS Press Diversity and Inclusion Statement:

Q2 2021 Update

We support an inclusive and diverse culture within scholarly publishing and IOS Press now has a Diversity and Inclusion Statement (DIS) in place. Editors will be informed of the listed actions and considerations that we hope will lead to improved geographical and gender equality. Any editors supporting the DIS will be invited to promote, spread awareness, and implement the relevant actions for their journals.

View: Diversity and Inclusion Statement
 

Q1 2021 Update

During the first months of 2021, IOS Press set up a working group to look at the SDGs with an aim to set specific targets. Indicated below are five current priorities and we are working with journal editors to assess board membership in terms of gender and diversity, as well as assessing partnerships in terms of responsible production.

SDG priorities Q1 2021

More in Sustainability

Jump to other sections to discover more about our approach to sustainability.
Sustainability Home Raising Awareness Diversity and Inclusion Statement Research4Life Openly Available COVID-19 Content

IOS Press SDG Working Group:
Gabriela Ricci, Axana Scherbeijn, Marten Stavenga, Reina Steenhuizen, Pim van Holst
 

Former group members: Stephanie Delbeque, Carmel McNamara

[Page first published: Jan 15, 2021; updated: Aug 10, 2023]