ETH Zurich renews partnership with NZZ Sustainable Switzerland
ETH Zurich has been a Science Partner of the NZZ platform Sustainable Switzerland since 2022. The aim of this media partnership is to make scientifically grounded perspectives on sustainability topics accessible to a broad public.
ETH members can now actively contribute content to the sustainability platform Sustainable Switzerland. This offers ETH staff and researchers the opportunity to present their own topics and research findings from projects and initiatives within the agreed publication capacity, reaching a broad and relevant audience. Importantly, contributions should not be academic publications, but clearly written, journalistic articles with a strong message and clear relevance to the public, connected to teaching and research at ETH.
Interested researchers and staff are invited to submit topic proposals for 2026 by 2 March 2026 via e-mail (see also section "How the process works").
The ETH Office of Sustainability manages the media partnership with NZZ Sustainable Switzerland and curates the annual publication capacity. It serves as the first point of contact for interested contributors and supports both publication projects and participation in events and exchange opportunities. Please note that publication opportunities and event tickets are subject to limited capacity.
NZZ Sustainable Switzerland
external page Sustainable Switzerland (in German) is the sustainability platform of NZZ. It brings together organizations and stakeholders from science, business, education, society, and politics, and combines journalistic content with contributions from its partners. These contributions are published digitally on external page Sustainable Switzerland and external page nzz.ch, and in selected editorial print formats such as "NZZ am Sonntag", as well as in a dedicated newsletter. In addition, a range of event formats creates opportunities for exchange and dialogue, most notably the annual external page Sustainable Switzerland Forum, which brings together around 600 decision-makers and is one of Switzerland’s leading sustainability conferences. Further thematic events within the Sustainable Switzerland Circle community complement the annual programme. These events are accessible to ETH members upon request or by invitation.
ETH’s role as a scientific partner
Together with EPFL, ETH has so far been an exclusive Science Partner. ETH Zurich contributes to Sustainable Switzerland with the clear commitment to maintaining independence and critical distance, and to acting as a trusted source of scientifically grounded knowledge on the platform. Particularly in the sustainability discourse, ETH plays an important role in providing context and reflection. Research findings are situated within their historical, societal, and systemic context, with the aim of making complex interrelationships understandable to a broad audience.
Making ETH research visible: Contributions within the Science Partnership
Participation in the publication contingent offers ETH members the opportunity to showcase research and selected content from projects and initiatives on the sustainability platform to audiences across Switzerland, with some articles also translated into Italian and French. Contributions are supported by professional editorial guidance. In addition, the event formats provide valuable opportunities for exchange and learning.
Following formats are open to ETH members
- external page Sustainable Switzerland events, such as the Sustainable Switzerland Forum (SSF), which will take place on 21 October 2026 at “The Hall” in Dübendorf.
- external page “Sustainable Shapers,” a format that nominates, profiles, and honours individuals and initiatives making a meaningful impact in sustainability.
- external page Through published contributions as outlined above. Selected contributions are also featured by the NZZ Sustainable Switzerland editorial team in the “Planet A” newsletter.
- Researchers or staff interested in publishing are invited to contact ETH Sustainability with a brief description of their proposed topic at (subject line: “Media Partnership Sustainable Switzerland”).
- ETH Sustainability reviews the proposal for alignment with the partnership and coordinates with the editorial team at NZZ Sustainable Switzerland regarding the timing and scope of publication.
- Depending on the placement and type of content, the article is either developed by NZZ or authored by ETH members and supported through the NZZ’s editorial process. Preparation and publication on Sustainable Switzerland follow the quality standards of NZZ.
- Researchers or staff interested in participating in an exchange format or event within the framework of Sustainable Switzerland are invited to contact ETH Sustainability with a brief statement of interest at (subject line: “Event Participation Sustainable Switzerland”).
- ETH Sustainability reviews the available ticket capacity and participation options and provides feedback and guidance accordingly.
Topics with a clear connection to sustainability, for example in the following areas:
- Climate, energy, environment and natural resources, mobility
- Future cities, infrastructure, food systems, circular economy, digitalisation
- Technologies, data-driven decision-making, artificial intelligence
- Societal transformation, sustainability governance, education, new work
ETH Sustainability welcomes enquiries via email at:
Visit our website: www.sustainability.ethz.ch
More information
ETH at the Sustainable Switzerland Forum 2025Note on the translation
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