Climate Week Zurich 2026 brought together people and organisations working to turn climate ambition into practical, scalable action. Across the city, the programme created space for dialogue and collaboration between business, research, policy, finance, civil society and the wider public. For Digital for Planet, it was an opportunity to explore a critical question: how can digital technologies support sustainability without adding to the environmental pressures they are meant to solve?
Digital tools can support more efficient cities, better decision-making, environmental monitoring and new forms of innovation. Yet digital infrastructure, connected devices, data centres and AI systems also carry material and energy impacts. This balance is central to making digital transformation part of the solution.
During Climate Week Zurich, Digital for Planet organised two events that reflected complementary sides of its work: a networking event on digital sustainability and funding, and an interactive workshop on smart and sustainable cities.
Together, the sessions showed how Digital for Planet connects people, ideas and practical tools across the digital sustainability landscape.
Building connections for sustainable digital innovation
Digital for Planet’s first event, Networking & Funding for Sustainable Innovation, brought together people working across technology, sustainability, policy, research, finance and entrepreneurship. The session focused on a central challenge for the green and digital transitions: how to make digital innovation both more sustainable in itself and more effective in supporting environmental progress.
A key contribution came from Bjorn-Soren Gigler, PhD, Senior Digital and Green Transformation Specialist at the European Commission, who delivered a keynote on EU climate policies, digital innovation and the role of AI. His remarks placed the discussion within the wider European policy landscape, highlighting how the EU is working to align digital transformation with sustainability goals.
He also underlined the growing importance of responsible AI and the European AI framework in shaping future innovation. As AI becomes more embedded in public services, business, research and infrastructure, its environmental and societal impacts need to be considered from the start.
The event then moved from policy context to practical action, with discussions on Life Cycle Assessment, digital sustainability policy developments and EU funding opportunities, including Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and the EU Mission Cities Programme.
The session also highlighted Digital for Planet’s latest report, Rethinking our Digital Habits, which brings digital sustainability closer to everyday choices and organisational practices.
Just as importantly, the event created space for networking and exchange, allowing like-minded stakeholders to connect across sectors, share perspectives and explore future collaborations. This kind of dialogue is essential for building a stronger digital sustainability ecosystem.
Overall, the event showed that sustainable digital innovation depends on policy frameworks, funding pathways and cross-sector partnerships that can turn ambition into implementation.
Co-designing smart and sustainable cities
Digital for Planet’s second event, Co-Designing Smart and Sustainable Cities, took a hands-on approach to urban sustainability. Organised in partnership with the Green Fintech Network, the workshop explored how digital tools, nature-based solutions and collaborative thinking can support cities that are more liveable, inclusive and resilient.
The session brought together different perspectives on what sustainable urban transformation can look like in practice. Anja Ludzuweit, Climate Week Zurich Ambassador, contributed to the discussion by connecting the workshop to the wider purpose of Climate Week Zurich: creating space for collaboration, exchange and concrete action.
A key contribution came from Francesco Mureddu, Vice President for Development and Senior Researcher at The Lisbon Council, who presented the EU-funded BLOSSOM, Urban-Flow and URBREATH projects. His intervention also highlighted the relevance of the EU Mission Cities, which supports cities in becoming climate-neutral and smarter through innovation, experimentation and citizen engagement.
The workshop also introduced Martel Innovate’s work on Orchestra Cities, an open-source platform supporting digitally enabled and sustainable smart cities. This provided a practical example of how digital infrastructure can help cities become smarter while remaining focused on sustainability, accountability and public value.
Building on these inputs, participants worked in small groups to co-design ideas around mobility, green spaces and digital tools. Each group focused on how digital tools could help address concrete urban sustainability challenges in the project cities of Firenze, Birmingham and Cluj-Napoca. These discussions showed how diverse perspectives can lead to more grounded, people-centred solutions for urban transformation.
The final reflections underlined the importance of accountability and citizen engagement. Digital tools can create value, but that value needs to be assessed carefully. Who benefits from a solution? What impact does it have? How is data managed? How are communities involved? These questions are essential for ensuring that digital innovation supports sustainable cities in a meaningful way.
From ideas to actions
Digital for Planet’s participation in Climate Week Zurich highlighted the growing relevance of digital sustainability within the broader sustainability agenda.
The networking event focused on the ecosystem needed to support sustainable digital innovation, from policy and funding to assessment methods and everyday digital habits. The smart cities workshop showed how co-design, open-source tools and collective intelligence can support more inclusive and sustainable urban transformation.
Across both events, one message stood out: digital technologies can help accelerate sustainability, but only when they are developed and used responsibly. This means understanding their impacts, involving the right stakeholders, and creating the conditions for solutions to move from discussion to implementation.
For Digital for Planet, Climate Week Zurich was a valuable opportunity to bring this message to a wider audience and to strengthen connections with partners working across technology, sustainability, cities and innovation.
As the digital and environmental transitions continue to evolve, Digital for Planet will keep working to ensure that digital transformation contributes to a future that is more sustainable, accountable and beneficial for people and the planet.