Kristy Law
- 8 min read
Top Sustainability Conferences To Attend In 2024
Reducing the impact of global warming, climate change and living a greener, more sustainable life really is one of the most important factors of life in the 21st century.
Trying to undo the effects of decades of polluting, throw away culture, harmful plastics, fossil fuels, deforestation, unethical sourcing of materials and much more is one giant struggle faced by us all.
But if everyone and every business could reduce their impact, we could face a much better and brighter future for the generations to come.
So if you’re passionate about sustainability, want to know about the latest developments and trends, and how you and your business can implement a more sustainable way of life, then here is your guide to the top sustainability conferences to attend in 2024 below.
9th Annual Sustainability Week
4 - 6 March 2024 | London, UK
Back for its ninth year, the Annual Sustainability Week by Economist Impact is a powerful, thought-provoking and action-seeking event.
Its hard-hitting conference covers everything you could imagine at a sustainability conference while also, for the first time, incorporating the Energy Transition Summit (ETS).
The ETS aims to provide vital information for you to use to help reduce emissions and improve your environmental impact faster in 2024.
The entire conference will welcome 1200+ attendees plus over 5000 virtual attendees and 200+ speakers.
You can expect keynote presentations, panel sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and an exhibition for you to really delve into the world of sustainability.
Speakers at the event include:
The Royal Mint
Force Of Nature
Skoda Auto
Aviva Investors
United Nations Environment Programme
Vodafone
Wildfarmed
UK Government
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Lloyds of London
OVO Energy
Environment Agency
Energy Transitions Commission
Trainline
Michelin
BMW
KFC
Soil Association
Plus, many, many more.
Topics that will be covered include:
Decarbonising business and industry
Financing at net zero
Supply chain and circularity
Innovative technology and adaptation
Biodiversity and Natural Capital
Plus, many other sustainability topics
World Future Energy Summit
16 -18 April | Abu Dhabi
Perceived as one of the leading business events for sustainability and the future of energy, the World Future Energy Summit is being held in Abu Dhabi, bringing together policymakers, problem solvers, industry influencers and world-class start-ups that are forging their way in this sector with cutting edge solutions to help produce and implement ground-breaking research for a sustainable future.
Hosted by UAE’s renewables giant Masdar, this “global think tank” event will be held over three days attracting over 30,000 visitors, 400+ exhibitors and over 700 speakers, with five dedicated conferences taking place, discussing the sustainability challenges being faced by our world today, and what the latest R&D developments are for ecowaste, water, solar, green energy and smart cities.
Topics that will be covered include:
How the water industry can reach net zero
Energy decarbonisation: Tripling installed renewables by 2030
AI’s impact on energy systems
Investment needs to meet mini/micro grid-reliant communities
Clean energy as a pathway to net zero
Addressing the link between climate and sustainable food systems
Practical approaches to reducing packaging
Promoting a focus away from landfill
Accelerating entrepreneurship and innovation in the waste circular economy
Reducing T&D energy consumption
Funding the path to water decarbonisation - where is the next technology leap?
Water security: Fine-tuning emergency response
Zero liquid discharge: The economics of wastewater treatment and reuse
Reflecting the true cost of agriwater: Water consumption demand response
Sustainable land use: Balancing human needs with environmental preservation
Air pollution - breathable cities through clean transport models
Learnings from COP - how outcomes can be applied to everyday life
Banking on green ambitions for the low carbon transition
Sustainable tourism – balancing governmental economic targets with environmental demands
Encouraging companies to invest in decarbonisation
Securing finance for ClimateTech entrepreneurs
Plus, multiple other topics
This event offers not only the opportunity to learn and hear from the top people within this sector, but there will be ample opportunity to meet and network with investors, innovators, public sector companies, and private corporations, as well as the many new start-up businesses, to ignite collaboration and dispense knowledge to help pave a stronger path for implementing more sustainable measures for a greener tomorrow.
To find out more, take a look at their website.
Innovation Forum Apparel and Textiles Conference 2024
23 - 24 April 2024 | Amsterdam, Holland & 25 - 26 June, New York, USA
This year’s Innovation Forum hosts four events in London, Amsterdam, Minneapolis, and New York, each focusing on a particular sustainability issue.
The Innovation Forum hosted in Amsterdam will focus on apparel and textiles and then again in New York later in the year.
This year's aim is: “From alignment to action: How brands can transform supply chains, scale circularity, and raise standards in the new legislative landscape”.
Due to recent changes to legislation, the conference will address and provide insight into how brands will need to align and adapt their current practices.
Delegates will leave the conference with a renewed understanding and best practices to develop net-zero strategies, engage consumers, transform their supply chains, drive positive social impacts and scale circularity.
The hot topics of discussion will include:
How EU policy shifts are impacting the sector
Asking if established fast fashion models can become a thing of the past
What will future sustainable fashion look like
How brands can lower logistics impact e.g. development of green shipping
The overarching topics that will be covered are:
Climate action and nature positive production
Factory engagement and manufacturing
Circularity, sustainable design and material innovation
Consumer trust and expectations
Many brands have already signed up, including Diesel and Decathlon, with representatives attending from the European Commission, Mulberry, Gant, Zalando, The White Company, Aldi, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, TextileGenesis, Lenzing and many others.
To find out more and to buy your tickets, take a look at their website.
EarthX
22 - 26 April | Dallas, USA
The infamous EarthX is back for 2024 and will be held in Dallas, Texas, with a mission to create a sustainable world for all life and future generations.
It’s a nonprofit international environmental organisation that helps to connect government agencies, academic institutions, businesses, and more to discuss a wide range of environmental and sustainability-related topics; bringing together the positive impact these partnerships can have for a better, sustainable future.
This world-leading event will cover all the topics you’d expect from a sustainability conference, including:
Energy
Circular Economy
Policy
Wildlife
Blue Economy
Conservation
Water
And many more
Sessions will be hosted via presentations, discussions, roundtables, banquets, fireside chats, keynote luncheons, and of course, provide ample opportunity to network with leading businesses, investors, start-ups, scientists, innovators and many others.
EarthX also hosts a film festival, bringing films, filmmakers, and musicians who centre their work on conservation, environment, and climate challenges to the spotlight.
To find out more, take a look at their website.
19th Conference On Sustainable Development Of Energy, Water And Environment Systems
SDEWES | 8 - 12 September | Rome, Italy
The SDEWES conference is one of the biggest and most influential sustainability conferences in the world.
They’re committed to finding ways to lead the future to a better, more sustainable way without using up too many resources, and moving towards a smarter type of economy while keeping the environment, society and economy in balance.
How do they want to achieve this?
By sharing advancements and knowledge in the field of sustainability on methods, policies and technologies that can be utilised while encouraging new studies and research to build upon what is already available.
One of the main challenges in the future is to make different systems work together efficiently to support life. This includes sharing resources such as electricity, water, and waste among different systems at the right time. Bringing various systems together, like energy, water, buildings, and agriculture, is crucial for sustainable development.
The SDEWES Conference is an important gathering for researchers in sustainability to connect and exchange new ideas. It's a fantastic place for experts from different fields to collaborate on solving complex problems.
The event is fertile in topics that will be discussed, covering many different issues and layers of sustainability.
You can expect to learn about the following topics:
Hydrogen and sector coupling strategies to decarbonise energy systems at different scales
Climate and air quality planning in urban areas
Passive and active measures to decarbonise buildings for smart and climate-neutral cities
Energy system modelling, tackling key challenges and integrating multidisciplinary perspectives
Harnessing the resource potential of our seas, waters and rivers in a sustainable manner
Towards a sustainable future: renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions for industry, transportation, and infrastructure applications
Energy transitions and decarbonisation in the district heating sector
E-fuels for heavy-duty applications
And more
To find out more and get your tickets, take a look at their website.
If you would like to find out what other conferences we recommend, you can view the following articles:
Top Orthopaedic Conferences 2024
Top Biology Conferences 2024