Sustainability

ICEM 2024, A SUSTAINABLE EVENT

As conference organizers, our task extends beyond creating memorable events.
We also have a key social and environmental responsibility.
We move hundreds of people and we know the impact that events have on the environment. Sustainability in events has become a paramount concern and the rising trend of incorporating sustainable measures into event planning is the answer to this concern and a commitment to reduce the ecological impact while maximizing the benefits.

With this in mind, the ICEM 2024 organizing committee is working for a green-oriented event, trying to adopt all possible best practices to respect and contribute positively to environment, society, and economy.

Main goals will include economic sustainaibility prioritising local vendors to support local economy and community, environmental sustainability reducing as much as possible the event ecological footprint and, last but not least, social sustainability ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all attendees.

The host city, Torino: focus on green infrastructures and sustainable urban mobility

• The ICEM conference will be hosted in Torino which in the past 25 years has made great strides towards a more sustainable and resilient city. The city has undertaken a sustainable development policy especially focusing on the urban environment, the green infrastructure system and the sustainable urban mobility.
• Torino has developed the Action Plan “Torino 2030, Sostenibile, Resiliente” whose vision corresponds to the UN 2030 Agenda and to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals towards a world without poverty, where the environment is protected and people have the opportunity to live in a state of peace and prosperity. The Action Plan compares each of the actions with the UN objectives, highlighting the challenges to which they respond.

The host venue, Politecnico di Torino: a sustainable campus

• The conference is hosted at the Politecnico di Torino meeting facilities. The university boasts a strong commitment to ecological and social sustainability. For several years now, Politecnico has been pursuing a path of integration and sustainability in its activities: teaching, research, third mission and campus management. The path undertaken is aimed at developing the principles of sustainability in a shared and systematic strategy, in acknowledgement of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted together with the 2030 Agenda by the United Nations in 2015.
• The principles of sustainability, of the University’s impact on the environment and natural resources, and actions to promote sustainable development of the territory, had already been introduced in the Statute of Politecnico di Torino in 2012.
  In 2018, a specific line of the PoliTO4Impac University Strategic Plan was dedicated to the development of a sustainable campusand the role of the University in the exchange of knowledge and technologies for sustainable development.
• Since 2019, the Politecnico has the presidency of the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development and coordinates its activities. Since 2023, it also leds the RUS Working Group dedicated to mobility issues.

For detailed information on the sustainable actions at Politecnico visit https://www.polito.it/en/polito/sustainable-campus).

Here below some of the ICEM 2024 sustainable measures:

Paperless policy

• The conference organization follows a paperless philosophy, prioritizing digital solutions such as digital event platforms for handling of registrations and paper submissions, website and webAPP, electronic newsletter etc. to minimize the use of paper both before and during the event.
• Production of printed items such as flyers, brochures, invitations, etc. in promotional activities has been limited to a reusable save-the-date conference bookmark, the attendees' name badges and the final synoptic conference programme, to be distributed at the conference, which is printed on FSC-certified paper (FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, an organization that works to promote the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide).The conference proceedings will be created in digital edition only and made available online.
  

Urban mobility

• The conference venue is located close to the city centre. It can be easily reached from the main railway stations (Porta Nuova and Porta Susa) both on foot or by subway, bus or tramway with a few minutes’ ride. The local international airport is connected to the railway stations in about 30 minutes by train. Many hotels are available at walking distance or are easily reachable by public transportation (subway, bus and tramway lines).
• The venue of the social dinner, the MAUTO National Car Museum, can be reached by metro plus a 10-minutes’ walk. To reduce the use of private cars, the organization has arranged bus shuttle service for the return trip to the city centre after the dinner.

Catering services

• Catering services will be mainly based on local products thus enhancing knowledge of local food traditions and reducing the environmental impact of food transportation.
• Tableware in Mater-Bi (biodegradable and compostable bioplastics) material only will be used. Water will be served in glass bottles.
• The caterer is a ISO 14001:2015 quality certified company, an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. Its food laboratory uses photovoltaic panels for the sustainable energy pruductionthus covering 85% of its daily needs.
• Great attention will be paid to food waste. ICEM 2024 has joined the national programme “Food for Good”. Leftover food left will be donated to local charity organizations through the no profit organization Banco Alimentare Onlus.
• Alternative options for special dietary requirements will be available.

Local vendors

• All vendors, from caterers to technical equipment suppliers, have been locally selected to foster local economy and reduce the impact of product transportation. All of them are committed to improve their sustainable actions and the ICEM conference hasbeen used to raise their awareness on sustainable management of their business.

Sustainable giveaways

• Conference bags and lanyards are 100% made from recycled PET.
• Priority has been given to reusable gifts provided by local manufacturers in order to improve knowledge of local products.

Reusable materials

• All structures used for signage and exhibition (e.g. signs, shell scheme booth, posterboards) provided by the organization are based on reusable materials.
• Plastic badge holders will be collected at the end of the conference and reused in future conferences.

Waste recycling

• A correct recycling throughout the event will be ensured by providing clearly marked recycling bins all over the Politecnico premises.

General conference management activities

• The conference management company Symposium srl is a ISO 9001:2015 quality certified PCO which has sustainability among its priorities. Sustainable best practices, such as the choice of paperless policy and the use of fully digitalized systemsfor pre-event activities (e.g. registration application submission and onsite registration procedures), have been adopted in all phases of the organization. Conference emission compensation

• In addition to making efforts to mitigate the conference impact on the environment, a collaboration with Treedom, a technical partner specialized in carrying out agroforestry projects all over the world, has been developed. Main goal of this partnership is the conference gas emission calculation and partial or total compensation.  Discover more on Treedom activities and procedures on www.treedom.net
  

Social sustainability

• ICEM 2024 organizing committee has been working in collaboration with Turismo Torino, the local tourist and convention bureau, for the promotion of Torino as a cultural and tourist destination. By showing their conference badge, ICEM attendees will be entitled to interesting benefits on many city services such as reduced rates on the purchase of the Torino Card and reduced tickets for many city museums and guided city tours. Favourable fees for ICEM delegates are applied to public transport tickets. Discounts are also granted by many restaurants and shops. An information desk of the local tourist bureau will be available at the conference venue on the conference opening day
• Music entertainment during the conference dinner will be organized in collaboration with Musicare, a local no profit organization which actively works to help young people’s human and social growth through music
• The conference dinner will be held at the MAUTO, the national car museum. Dinner participants will have the opportunity to visit the Museum and, by following the development of car industry from its very beginning, also discover how Torino and its territory have socially and economically changed from the early 1900s to present.
• ICEM conference have granted reduced registration fees for students, encouraging the participation of young peopleto international scientific conferences.
• University students have been involved in the onsite conference organization. They will have the opportunity to share an interesting international scientific and human experience and receive an honorarium for their work.
• Health and safety at workhas been among the conference organization priorities. All onsite activities have been planned in strict compliance with local laws and regulations.Attendees’ personal data have been treated with full respect of current privacy regulations (EU GDPR 2016/679)
• Accessibility: the conference venue, Politecnico has a specific plan approved by its governing bodies to remove architectural barriers. Accessibility is ensured in all conference areas. For more information, please apply to: accessibility@symposium.it
  
  
• In order to improve online contents accessibility, a specific plugin that provides website visitors with the ability to adjust settings according to their needs has been installed on the conference website.
  
• Fostering the culture of sustainability: ICEM organization has done its best to raise awareness on sustainable practices in its communication activities. Attendees, suppliers, staff and sponsors have been informed about the conference commitment. The conference scientific programme also includes sustainability among its themes.
  

NEWS ON SUSTAINABILITY FROM ICEM SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

• Information on DUMAREY sustainable policy can be found here
  

Further information on ICEM 2024 sustainable activities will be announced as soon as available.
Stay tuned and go green!