We’re excited to announce the upcoming launch of a new journal in the BMC Series: BMC Sustainability. I’m pleased to introduce myself as the journal’s Lead Editor. I step into this role after serving as Lead Editor at BMC Public Health for nearly twenty years where I developed a deep interest in sustainability as it relates to health and the broader systems that shape our lives.  

Sustainability research rarely fits neatly into a single discipline and often involves insights from health, environmental science, life sciences, agriculture, and policy. While many of our journals in the BMC Series publish aspects of this work, we haven’t had a dedicated platform focused entirely on sustainability, one that can grow and develop with the needs of the research community. Our new journal will fill that gap, offering a trusted, inclusive home for this kind of research within our portfolio, and building on the BMC Series’ longstanding commitment to transparent, rigorous and accessible science.  

This is a rapidly evolving area, and it is becoming increasingly central to the work of many authors who publish with us. Launching a journal dedicated to sustainability is a natural step for the BMC Series, strengthening our portfolio by providing a venue for research that sits between our existing titles, including BMC Public Health, BMC Ecology and Evolution, BMC Agriculture, and BMC Environmental Science. 

The journal will focus on studies that link evidence with practice and policy to support healthier societies and ecosystems. This includes work on sustainable health systems, biodiversity and ecosystem health, regenerative agriculture and food systems, biological approaches to sustainability, and the environmental and circular‑economy strategies needed for climate resilience. The goal is simple: to bring together research that reflects how sustainability challenges are tackled in the real world - collaboratively and across fields. 

BMC Sustainability is closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well‑Being), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). These priorities reflect our commitment to supporting research that contributes to practical progress as well as scientific understanding. 

As with all BMC Series journals, BMC Sustainability is committed to open, robust, and reproducible science. Editorial decisions are based on the validity and rigor of the research, and we support transparent processes throughout peer review. For its first year, the journal will be completely APC‑free; after that, we will continue to support equitable access through country‑tiered waivers and discounts as part of Springer Nature’s wider commitment to the SDGs. 

We’re now actively recruiting editorial board members ahead of the official launch later this spring. To find out more or to get involved in BMC Sustainability, please get in touch - we would love to hear from you!  Contact us at natalie.pafitis@biomedcentral.com and  alison.cuff@biomedcentral.com