Sustainable Development Goals

In December 2020, IOS Press became a signatory of the United Nations SDG Publishers Compact, an initiative that urges publishers to support the development and application of the sustainability agenda in the decade of action, 2020-2030. Publishers support the initiative by facilitating the acquisition, publication, and sharing of content that advocates for themes represented by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By signing this SDG Publishers Compact, IOS Press committed to ten measures that are key to achieving the SDGs:

State sustainability policies and targets on our website including adherence to the SDG Publishers Compact.
Actively promote and acquire content that advocates for themes represented by the SDGs.
Report on progress towards achieving SDGs.
Nominate a group of people to promote SDG progress.
Raise awareness and promote the SDGs among staff.
Raise awareness and promote the SDGs among suppliers.
Become an advocate to customers and stakeholders by promoting and actively communicating about the SDG agenda through marketing, websites, promotions, and projects.
Collaborate with other signatories and organizations to develop, localize, and scale projects that will advance progress on the SDGs.
Dedicate budget and other resources towards accelerating progress for SDG-dedicated projects and promoting SDG principles.
Take action on at least one SDG goal.

An IOS Press SDG Working Group was established upon signing the Compact so actions around the SDGs would reflect the company as a whole. Group members were initially spread across four departments in the company. We also count on the collaboration of other colleagues who contribute to this initiative drawing on their expertise.

The group consistently reports its developments and actions on this webpage, as well as in the IOS Press quarterly newsletter. Read our annual reports:

2022 Report 2023 Report

IOS Press Priorities

When joining the SDG Publishers Compact, IOS Press committed to taking action on at least one of the SDG goals. As the Working Group developed, several goals were addressed:

	SDG 5: Gender Equality Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls In an effort to tackle SDG 5 more efficiently, we published a Diversity and Inclusion Statement, to which many of our editors have already adhered; signed a joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing; and also have representation in the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers’ working group on equality, diversity and inclusion. We work with the policies stated in the joint commitment and developed by the ALPSP EDI working group for improving equality in our publications as well as our company.
	SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities Reduce inequalities in and among countries IOS Press is a partner of Research4Life, benefiting institutions and researchers of lower-income countries. In addition to providing access to the research published by IOS Press, most of our journals with Article Processing Charges (APCs) also use Research4Life’s eligibility list, waiving the APCs for researchers located in those countries. This ensures that not only researchers from lower-income countries have access to high-quality information, but are able to share the knowledge they produce in our trustworthy publications.
	SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Throughout 2021-2023, a joint effort across the company drastically reduced the number of print materials produced by IOS Press, in line with SDG 12. The number of printed journal copies has been reduced to a minimum and on-demand printing is being implemented to help us avoid unnecessary waste. Digital-based marketing also plays a major role in helping our company reduce printed materials. It is no longer standard practice to distribute printed journal copies when attending conferences, and we have reduced the printing of other materials as much as possible, preferring the digital version wherever possible. Our responsible marketing practices have been implemented in 2022 and expanded in 2023.
	SDG 13: Climate Action Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts In 2022, we contracted with Coolset to assess our carbon footprint. This was the first step towards becoming a carbon-neutral company. Actions already taken in regard to SDG 12, should help us achieve this goal, which is to develop an action plan based on the assessments we receive.
	SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development In line with SDG 17, the printing companies with which we work adhere to sustainable practices and are FSC® certified. Moreover, our partnerships with other organizations are essential for our work as signatories of the SDG Publishers Compact. Throughout 2023, the SDG working group assessed which current suppliers fall into this category. We also encouraged those that do not have a public sustainability statement or environmental policy to implement one.

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

IOS Press Publications and the SDGs

Using LD Connect, our linked data portal, we apply search queries developed by Scopus to find content relating to the SDGs published in each IOS Press journal. Terms in the article considered for the mapping are from the title, keywords, journal subject areas, and abstract. A list with the SDGs relating to each journal is also available on the journal pages.

To incentivize journals' development towards equality in terms of geographic diversity, we collect geographic data from all authors on a yearly basis. The three-year geographical distribution of authorship for each journal can be found on each journal page on the IOS Press website.

Editorial board members’ gender information is collected only for journals that actively support IOS Press’ SDGs initiatives. The editors-in-chief of supporting journals receive a yearly report with detailed information about their journals’ detailing geographical and gender diversity, and how their journal compares with other IOS Press journals.

Visit the Highlighted SDG Content page for an overview of sustainability-related content. Browse our catalog for full content.

See All Supporting Journals Highlighted SDG Content

Latest Blog Post Related to the SDGs

Discover how IOS Press, a leading STM publisher based in Amsterdam, is actively contributing to global sustainability efforts. Since signing the SDG Publishers Compact in December 2020, IOS Press has been committed to aligning its operations with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Through the establishment of a dedicated working group, IOS Press is diligently identifying strategies to integrate sustainability into its publishing practices. From analyzing current activities to engaging with its community, learn how IOS Press is championing sustainability and informing its audience about SDG developments.

View Post

More on Sustainability

Jump to other sections to discover more about our approach to sustainability.

Sustainability Home Diversity and Inclusion Statement Research4Life Openly Available COVID-19 Content Highlighted SDG Content

IOS Press SDG Working Group:
Gabriela Ricci, Axana Scherbeijn, Pim van Holst, Wilbert van der Sluijs

Former group members: Stephanie Delbeque, Carmel McNamara, Marten Stavenga, Reina Steenhuizen

We have representation on working groups in affiliation with the following organizations:

Joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing (joined Q3 2021)
ALPSP Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity Working Group (joined Q3 2021)
ALPSP SDGs and Publishing special interest group (joined Q4 2023)

[Page first published: Jan 15, 2021; updated: Sept 12, 2024]