THE FIRST CONFERENCE ON ABSOLUTE SUSTAINABILITY
From less bad to good enough
BY THE DTU CENTRE FOR ABSOLUTE SUSTAINABILITY, WITH COLLABORATIVE INPUT FROM REBOUNDLESS
30th September - 2nd October 2025
Join us!
The Centre for Absolute Sustainability at the Technical University of Denmark is excited to announce this year’s conference: “From Less Bad to Good Enough”, marking the start of an annual series on technologies’ role in the sustainable transition, with a dedicated focus on absolute sustainability.
The conference will take place from 30th September - 2nd October 2025, at Konventum Conference Centre in the coastal town of Eslinore, 45km north of Copenhagen, Denmark.
With today’s pressing environmental challenges, incremental improvements (“less bad”) are no longer enough. We must transition towards solutions that are good enough to enable society to thrive within Earth’s limits and ensure long-term sustainability. The recent wave of corporate science-based targets and net zero targets are a good step in the right direction, but we need to broaden the focus to other planetary boundaries and actors to avoid sub-optimal solutions.
This year’s conference aims to address cross-sectoral challenges in the sustainability transition, covering a wide range of sectors and technologies. We are taking a particular focs on the absolute persepctive and will enhance our programme with focused sessions on the prevention of rebound effects by design. We invite academics, industry professionals, and practitioners to share their research, solutions, and strategies for advancing absolute sustainability.
This is your opportunity to engage with a diverse audience of sustainability leaders, exchange ideas, and help shape the future of sustainability research and practice.
We are proud to announce an exciting lineup of keynote speakers, including:
- Katherine Richardson, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Sami Kara, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Christoph Herrmann, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
- Serenella Sala, EU Joint Reserach Centre, Ispra, Italy
- Daniela Pigosso, Technical University of Denmark
- Cecilie Friis, CONCITO, Denmark
- Michael Hauschild, Centre Lead, DTU Centre of Absolute Sustainability - conference co-chair
- Tim C. McAloone, Centre Co-Lead, DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability - conference co-chair
Conference Themes
Explore key themes guiding the conference here: Conference Themes.
Abstract Submission
Abstract submissions are limited in number and should address the conference’s core themes and objectives which could include science-based targets and solutions to key sustainability challenges.
Find instructions on how to submit your abstract here: Submission Guidelines.
Important Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline: 1st April 2025
- Acceptance Notification: 15th April 2025
- Registration Deadline: 5th May 2025
We look forward to your submission and participation at the conference!
*We are grateful to the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which has generously sponsored the conference
