PLOS joins over 290 other publishers in signing the UN SDG Publisher’s Compact, an agreement to inspire action among publishers in advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by actively seeking and promoting scientific content related to the goals, as well as committing to sustainable actions across our business.
Our commitment to sustainability
We’re committed to creating an inclusive, collaborative, and conscientious organization that takes a leading role in transforming scholarly communication for the better.
We’re proud to be a signatory of the UN SDG Publisher’s compact to advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals through the Open Access research we publish as well as the actions we take across our business.
Building a more sustainable future through trusted research
Our multidisciplinary Open Access journals form connections between disciplines and across geographies to advance global progress for a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.
Many of our journals advance research aligned to the UN SDGs, shining a spotlight on challenges in health equity, igniting public policy discussion, informing the actions we take to address climate change and use our planet’s resources more sustainably, and much more.
PLOS has a longstanding commitment to working with global research communities who are addressing societal challenges, and to focusing the development of our portfolio to support their needs. We’re shaping journal content, representation on our editorial boards, and the tools we offer researchers to share and promote their work around best practices for advancing a sustainable and inclusive future for all.
Featured collections
Global child health: From birth to adolescence and beyond
This PLOS Medicine Special Issue brings together the latest research on child and adolescent health, and features topics including strategies to monitor and combat child mortality from birth through adolescence.
Going for green: Biology for planetary sustainability
This PLOS Biology collection focuses on technologies that take advantage of nature to improve sustainability. The research explores biological solutions that could reduce CO2 emissions, get rid of plastics that are currently not degradable, produce food more sustainably, and generate energy.
Ocean solutions for a sustainable, healthy and inclusive future
Many issues afflict the ocean, such as loss of biodiversity, overexploitation, acidification, warming and increasing pollution. Recognizing the scope and urgency of this problem, PLOS Biology has developed a new collection.
Leading responsibly
In addition to the content we publish, PLOS is working to eliminate financial barriers to Open Access publishing, partnering with research communities around the world to co-create more equitable solutions for sharing open research and ensuring inclusive policies shape our journals.
Sustainability at PLOS
As an organization, we consider the best options for our planet when choosing vendors, travel, and office operations. The PLOS Planeteers is a passionate committee sponsored by our CFO, leading PLOS’ efforts to become a more sustainable business as well as providing information and workshops to staff on how we can each reduce our personal carbon footprint.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at PLOS
We want to learn from, and partner with, different communities to build a system for Open Science that’s designed, owned, and shared with the communities that use it. We’re working to ensure all parts of our organization are open to and shaped by diverse perspectives and that our journals represent the broadest range of expert knowledge possible.
Updates and perspectives from PLOS blogs
The ways in which we surface research and how we represent the broadest spectrum of researchers’ voices matter greatly to the success of the SDGs and to the integrity of scholarly publishing more broadly.
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The Official PLOS Blog Building a more sustainable future through open access research
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Latitude Accelerating change – the 2023 UN Water Conference
March 22 is the 30th anniversary of World Water Day, an annual event convened by UN-Water that aims to raise public awareness for the planet’s freshwater resources and global access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
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Speaking of Medicine and Health Exploring key issues in mental health
Recent years have underlined the central role mental health plays in an individual and society’s quality of life, with impacts on physical health and the ability to live fulfilling productive lives.
SDG Steering Committee
To drive forward these efforts, we’ve appointed an SDG Steering Committee comprised of senior leaders and experts across our organization who will advance our progress in becoming a more sustainable and inclusive organization.
The SDG Steering Committee consists of:
Alison Mudditt
Chief Executive Officer
Roheena Anand
Executive Director, Global Publishing Development
Rebecca Kirk
Associate Editorial Director
Bekah Darksmith
Chief of Staff and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Jocelyn Quigley
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
Sandra Upegui
General Counsel
Jamie Males
Executive Editor, PLOS Climate