Sustainability

Going Green Together 

MDS is committed to integrating sustainable meeting practices and initiatives that go beyond slogans and result in useful achievements. 

We firmly believe that we all have a part to play in preserving our future for generations to come, both locally and across the globe. 

Therefore, we are organizing our 2025 Annual Meeting with sustainability in mind – for our planet and environment, as well as for everyone involved with the event: from the organizing team and committees, through our partner chain, all the way to the delegates we welcome. 

The 2025 Meeting destination city and congress center are also aligned with our vision of improving our environment and society’s impact. 

The MDS 2025 Annual Meeting and the Sustainable Development Goals 

The  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, also known as the Global Goals) are 17 goals with 169 targets that all UN Member States have agreed to work towards achieving by the year 2030. They set out a vision for a world free from poverty, hunger and disease. 

We at MDS want to do our part to promote the achievement of these goals in our value chain. The SDGs that we support and work towards are: 

Contributions you can make as an MDS 2025 Delegate: 

As individuals, as well as a community, each of us can and should contribute towards maintaining the natural ecological balance in the environment and preserving the planet and its natural systems and resources. Here is what we invite you to do as part of the MDS 2025 Meeting: 

• Use the mobile app (instead of printing) to inquire about the program details.
• Use more sustainable ways of travelling to and around Rotterdam.
• Sort your waste in appropriate bins at venues, hotels, and around the city. 
• Keep waste items with you if there is no visible garbage or recycling bins at an event or during your tourism outings. 
• Opt for reusable mugs and bottles and refuse single-use plastic. 
• Do not print booking confirmations and boarding passes; instead, provide digital copies of these documents. 
• Provide an alternative to business cards – QR codes to LinkedIn or e-card. 
• Opt for a vegetarian meal option when available and possible. 

As an MDS 2025 participant caring for sustainability and climate change, we are also offering you the option to offset your air travel carbon emissions by calculating them and donating the compensation sum. Learn how HERE. 

QUALITY EDUCATION

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

1. Networking opportunities and exchange of knowledge
        – Mingle with your colleagues at Welcome Reception &   Networking Event
        – Use the opportunity to present your poster during Ice-Cream Happy Hour 
2. Special keynote presentation – you can check the program HERE
3. Post-event resource sharing for the MDSF members 
4. Travel grants. MDS 2025 is also offering 15 travel grants of up to $1,150 and 5 grants of up to $1,500 for participants from low-income countries. These grants will support presenting authors of the best abstracts selected by the scientific committee. Eligible authors must be under 40 years old, and the grants will cover travel and visa expenses. 

Supporting accessible high-quality education for our community is our top priority. Throughout the organization of MDS, we strive to constantly improve the scientific program, introduce more accessible Meeting alternatives and support onsite attendance, eliminate gender disparities in education, and ensure long-term education for our attendees. 

Our 2025 Initiatives: 

• High-Quality Scientific Program– Carefully crafted by an international team of experts in the field of Myelodysplastic Syndromes. We aim to constantly improve the session formats, introduce new relevant topics, and invite the best international experts. 

• Promoting Sustainable Development – We enquire and opt for more sustainable options from our vendors, openly communicate our efforts to do better and encourage our partners and participants to reduce their footprint too. 

CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 

• Work with the local catering and provide healthy food with more vegetarian options, 1 lunch with no meat / a fully vegetarian meal, also proceed offering a diet corner. 

• Reduce cutlery use and ensure a zero-use policy of single-use plastic for meals. 

SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

In Rotterdam, resilience is a way of life. From communities to critical infrastructure, from climate initiatives to energy efficiency and including the efforts of venues and hotels, the city is driven by a commitment to building a resilient future. This dedication positions Rotterdam as an unmatched destination for hosting impactful and sustainable events. 
 
De Doelen is one of the seven partners of 7 Square Endeavor. This international collaboration and sustainability project has the mission to prepare cities for the future. It responds on a local scale to global urbanization and its adverse consequences such as pollution, heat stress and flooding. 
Smart and innovative use of energy is one of the spearheads of this project. The Schouwburgplein (square in front of de Doelen) serves as a testing ground for new innovative technologies, cyclical processes and business models. The Rotterdam square is the first in a series of seven worldwide.

RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION  

1. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
2. Limit printed promotional; for printed materials we are using PVC free 
3. No single plastic use 

We recognize the environmental impact that events like the MDS 2025 can have, so sustainable production and consumption are one of our top priorities in organizing the 2025 Meeting. We are working with our suppliers to ensure maximum positive change. 

Our 2025 Initiatives: 

• A mini program will be printed instead of the full program, and the rest of the information will be shared digitally via the Meeting App 

• Limited printed promotional materials for MDS 2025 in favor of digital alternatives. We are using local partners and less economically damaging products. 

• We encouraged all our exhibitors to participate in this initiative by reducing single-use giveaways at their booths. 

• Delegate badge collection and recycling at the end of the event.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN ROTTERDAM: 

Sustainability in the city: think-sustainably 

Sustainability at the venue: De Doelen – Social Impact and Sustainability