IOP Publishing joins SDG Publishers Compact

IOP Publishing (IOPP) has become a signatory of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Publishers Compact

, a pledge which sees publishers working together to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Launched in October 2020 in collaboration with the International Publishers Association, the

SDG Publishers Compact is an initiative that aims to advance the implementation of SDGs through 10 action points

. Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction.

IOPP has a long-standing commitment to creating a more sustainable, diverse and equitable future for the world and is dedicated to influencing real change, both as a publisher and an employer.

Through its series of established environmental journals, IOPP publishes research that addresses some of the world’s most critical issues and delivers solutions for sustainability development in line with the SDGs. The

launch of its Sustainability Collection brings together SDG-related content published by IOPP into a central place

, with an intuitive search that filters by SDG and by year.

The adoption of double-anonymous peer review across all IOPP owned journals is just one example of the society publisher’s pioneering approach to tackling the significant gender, racial and geographical under-representation in the scholarly publishing process. It remains focused on improving the diversity of its reviewers, authors editorial boards and in the spirit of transparency and accountability, displays the gender and selected geographical representation of its accepted authors and invited reviewers on its journal homepages. It is a member of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) which supports more equitable, inclusive approaches to research evaluation and Research4Life which helps to boost access to scientific research in low-income countries.

Antonia Seymour, chief executive at IOP Publishing said: “We take our responsibility towards making a positive difference to society very seriously. Though we’ve made progress, one thing is very clear – collaboration will be key if we want to continue to do so. Collectively, scientific publishers and the communities we serve can make a significant contribution towards achieving the promise of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. I’m optimistic about the change we’ll see working together.”

Liz Martin, head of production, and sustainability lead at IOP Publishing said: “From initiatives such as our Sustainability Collection, which make it easier to find all the SDG related knowledge that we publish, through to being transparent about the progress we are making in reducing the environmental impacts of our business, we will continue do everything we can to change the world’s trajectory.”

Along with the other signatories of the SDG Publisher Compact, IOPP commits to:

1. Stating sustainability policies and targets on the IOPP website, including adherence to this Compact; incorporating SDGs and their targets as appropriate.

2. Actively promoting and acquiring content that advocates for themes represented by the SDGs, such as equality, sustainability, justice and safeguarding and strengthening the environment.

3. Annually reporting on progress towards achieving SDGs, sharing data and contributing to benchmarking activities, helping to share best practices and identify gaps that still need to be addressed.

4. Nominating a person who will promote SDG progress, acting as a point of contact and coordinating the SDG themes throughout the organization.

5. Raising awareness and promoting the SDGs among staff to increase awareness of SDG-related policies and goals and encouraging projects that will help achieve the SDGs by 2030.

6. Raising awareness and promoting the SDGs among suppliers, to advocate for SDGs and to collaborate on areas that need innovative actions and solutions.

7. Becoming an advocate to customers and stakeholders by promoting and actively communicating about the SDG agenda through marketing, websites, promotions and projects.

8. Collaborating across cities, countries and continents with other signatories and organisations to develop, localise and scale projects that will advance progress on the SDGs individually or through their Publishing Association.

9. Dedicating budget and other resources towards accelerating progress for SDG-dedicated projects and promoting SDG principles.

10. Taking action on at least one SDG goal, either as an individual publisher or through the national publishing association and sharing progress annually.

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