STM's actions to advance
the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Together, we can directly contribute to achieving global sustainability and equity.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. More important than ever, the goals provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery. 

By fostering inclusivity, equity, and sustainability within the scholarly publishing ecosystem, STM supports the development and dissemination of research that addresses critical issues such as poverty, health, and environmental protection. Through collaboration and innovation, STM and its members champion the SDGs, ensuring that research plays a vital role in building a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Our social responsibility efforts focus on uniting the STM community to identify meaningful ways we can collaborate and drive real, lasting change. 

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The SDG Publishers Compact

As a signatory of the SDG Publishers Compact, STM believes in the power of trusted research to drive meaningful global change.

STM is proud to be a signatory to the SDG Publishers Compact. This Compact is designed to inspire action among publishers. Launched by the United Nations in collaboration with the International Publishers Association, the Compact aims to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

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. 

In addition, publishers are encouraged to join the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals. 

Read the full press release from SDG Publishers Compact launch.  For a full list of members, click here. 

The Latest from STM

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STM Integrity Hub Expands with Springer Nature’s AI-Powered Text Detection Tool

*Announcements *Paper Mills *Research Integrity 04/30/25

STM is proud to welcome the integration of a proprietary AI tool donated by Springer Nature into the STM Integrity Hub. Originally developed to identify AI-generated nonsense text in research manuscripts, this tool has been successfully used across Springer Nature’s journals and books. Its donation marks a significant step forward in collective efforts to uphold…

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STM Defends Copyright in AI Case 

*AI *Announcements *IP & Copyright 04/22/25

STM has filed an amicus brief supporting authors in the Kadrey v. Meta litigation, which challenges Meta’s use of copyrighted works to train its generative AI systems.  The brief underscores that Meta knowingly copied and distributed large volumes of copyrighted content sourced from notorious piracy websites—including Z-Library, Libgen, Sci-Hub, and others—that have been repeatedly shut…

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New STM Draft Report: Classifying AI Use in Manuscript Preparation

*Announcements *Research Integrity 04/21/25

STM has released a new draft report, Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic Manuscript Preparation, developed by the STM Association’s Task & Finish Group on AI Labelling Terminology. This draft is now open for community consultation.  While publishers have long offered guidance on disclosing human assistance—such as language editing—recent advances in generative…

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STM submits comment on Canada’s open access plan

*Global *Policy & Advocacy Policy briefing 04/17/25

STM, along with cOAlition S and library organisations across the globe, provided feedback on the new draft revised Tri-Agency Open Access (OA) Policy on Publications. Our comment supported the flexibility in the draft policy while making several suggestions for changes or clarifications: Maintain recognition of publisher investments in vetted, validated, peer-reviewed articles Find ways to…

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