On April 10, 2025, the University of Tübingen hosted its first workshop on “Sustainable Conferencing”, organized jointly by the Competence Center for Sustainable Development (CCSD) and the Chair of Ethics, Theory, and History of the Life Sciences.

Although various guidelines for organizing green conferences and events already exist, we identified the need for a framework specifically tailored to sustainable university events. From our perspective, Sustainable Development encompasses far more than “Green Conferencing.” We understand it as a process that contributes to a good life for all currently and future living (non-)human beings—operating within the planetary, technological, and social boundaries defined by our planet and human capabilities.

To this end, a small group of experts actively involved in event organization across different levels of the University of Tübingen was invited to discuss potential approaches.

During the workshop, the group explored the idea of establishing a conference sustainability seal with three levels (Bronze, Silver, and Gold). This seal aims to guide organizing teams in implementing sustainability criteria in various domains, including food and leftovers, beverages, travel, conference materials, venue, and social aspects. Relevant measures discussed include, for instance, the use of recycled paper, hybrid event formats, inclusive imagery, regional food sourcing, accessibility by public transport, and waste separation.

The goal of the initiative is to encourage continuous improvement, exchange of good practices, transparency towards participants, and to embed the principle of Sustainable Development more deeply into university event management.

The workshop yielded highly valuable feedback, which will inform the further refinement of our proposed standards.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all participants for their commitment and constructive contributions.

The Team of the Competence Center for Sustainable Development (CCSD)