The journey, and fate, of a subducting slab in Earth's mantle are controlled by the interplay of processes ranging from plate motions, changes in slab strength and rheology, mantle flow, to phase transformations and melt/fluid migration. Together these determine the evolution of the slab from the Earth's surface to the base of the upper mantle or even to the core-mantle-boundary. Understanding subduction zone dynamics therefore requires the integration of observations from many disciplines. These include, among others: seismological observations of slab morphologies and mantle anisotropy; geochemical determinations of sediment and crust recycling; mineral physics measurements and simulations of thermoelastic and transport properties; geological fieldwork which unravels past subduction histories; and geodynamical modelling. We invite contributions that highlight advances in all these fields to discuss the fate of subducting material in a broad interdisciplinary approach.