Sustainability

ICEM 2024, A SUSTAINABLE EVENT

As ICEM conference organizers, we knew since the conference organization beginning that our task extended beyond creating an interesting scientific event.
We were aware of the impact that events like ICEM have on the environment and the social and environmental responsibilitythat they involve.
All over the world, 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 has been working for two years for a green-oriented event, trying to adopt all possible best practices to respect and contribute positively to environment, society, and economy.

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

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

• The ICEM conference was 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 was held 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.

ICEM 2024 SUSTAINABLE MEASURES

Paperless policy

• The conference organization followed 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 was 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 was 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 was located close to the city centre, easily reachable 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 was connected to the railway stations in about 30 minutes by train. Many hotels were available at walking distance or were easily reachable by public transportation (subway, bus and tramway lines).
• The venue of the social dinner, the MAUTO National Car Museum, could be reached by metro plus a 10-minutes’ walk. To reduce the use of private cars, the organization arranged a bus shuttle service for the return trip to the city centre after the dinner.

Catering services

• Catering services were mainly based on local products thus enhancing knowledge of local food traditions and reducing the environmental impact of food transportation.
• Tableware inMater-Bi (biodegradable and compostable bioplastics) material only was used.
• The caterer was 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 productionthus covering 85% of its daily needs.
• Great attention was paid to food waste. ICEM 2024 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 were also available.

Local vendors

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

Sustainable giveaways

• Conference bags and lanyards were 100% made from recycled PET.
• Priority was 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 were made of reusable materials.
• Plastic badge holders were collected at the end of the conference and will be reused in future conferences.

Waste recycling

• A correct recycling throughout the event was 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.
  The conference sustainable practices were recognized as compliant with the ISO 20121 quality international standard for sustainable event management.

Emission calculation and compensation

• In addition to making efforts to mitigate the conference impact on the environment, a collaboration withTreedom,a technical partner specialized in carrying out agroforestry projects all over the world,was developed. Main goal of this partnership was the conference gas emission calculation and partial compensation.
  According to the technical partners Up2You and Treedom’s final report, the ICEM conference total emissions (carbon footprint) was about 400 tons of CO2equivalent mainly generated by the estimated attendees’ travel emissions.
  The conference emissions were partially compensated with a forestry action in collaboration with Treedom. The ICEM conference supported planting of 400 trees in different countries, with an estimated carbon offset of 100 tons of CO2in ten years.

Social sustainability

• ICEM 2024 organizing committee has been working in strict 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 were 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 were applied to public transport tickets. Discounts were also granted by many restaurants and shops. An information desk of the local tourist bureau was available at the conference venue on the conference opening day
• Music entertainment during the conference dinner was organized in collaboration withMusicare, a local no profit organization which actively works to help young people’s human and social growth through music
• The conference dinner was held at the MAUTO, the national car museum. Dinner participants had 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 granted reduced registration fees for students, encouraging the participation of young peopleto international scientific conferences.
• University students were involved in the onsite conference organization. They had the opportunity to share an interesting international scientific and human experience and receive an honorarium for their work.
• Health and safety at workwas among the conference organization priorities. All onsite activities were planned in strict compliance with local laws and regulations. Attendees’ personal data were 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 was ensured in all conference areas.
• In order to improve online contents accessibility, a specific plugin that provides website visitors with the ability to adjust settings according to their needs was installed on the conference website.
• Fostering the culture of sustainability:ICEM organization did its best to raise awareness on sustainable practices in its communication activities. Attendees, suppliers, staff and sponsors were informed about the conference commitment. The conference scientific programme also included sustainability among its themes.

DOWNLOAD HERE THE FINAL REPORT