As part of the growing Sustainability minor at AUBG, the Engaging in Sustainability course wrapped up its semester with powerful final presentations that showcased student innovation, critical thinking, and real-world collaboration. Guided by the course’s lead professor Maria Petrova, PhD, this semester’s class grew to 29 passionate students, all working closely with five engaged partner organizations on pressing sustainability challenges.
Building on relationships established during previous collaborations, the course brought together corporate partners, NGOs, and public institutions to tackle sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives and domains—finance, fashion, water management, waste reduction, and supply chains. The projects pushed students to think beyond theory and deliver actionable, research-backed solutions tailored to each organization’s needs.
Here’s a look at the exciting partnerships and project themes:
- Experian: Students identified key sustainability challenges relevant to a global finance company, helping map a strategy for sustainable growth and belonging within the financial sector.
- Unboxd: This AUBG-founded startup teamed up with students to assess the feasibility of offering workshops and educational content on sustainable second-hand clothing practices to its B2B clients.
- Veolia: The team proposed innovative strategies for improving water management practices, contributing ideas that bridge infrastructure and environmental responsibility.
- Za Zemiata & Blagoevgrad Municipality: Students researched successful household waste separation models across Southeastern Europe to offer insight and guidance for improving local practices.
- Coca-Cola: The project focused on integrating sustainability into Coca-Cola’s global supply chains, aligning business goals with EU regulatory compliance in an ethical and efficient way.
The final presentations highlighted not only the depth of student engagement but also the mutual value of academic-industry collaboration. With input and feedback from the partner organizations and under the guidance of their professor, students developed practical, impactful ideas that demonstrated their ability to navigate complex sustainability issues in a global context.
The mentors expressed their satisfaction with the insights of the students’ research and shared what the next steps for incorporating the proposed solutions into their organizations’ path to sustainability. In that regard, students from the Experian team were invited and successfully presented their project ideas to the Experian leadership in Sofia. The audience was highly engaged and really appreciated their proposals, which will be shared with the company’s global sustainability office.
The Sustainability minor continues to empower AUBG students to become agents of change—equipped not just with knowledge, but with the experience of working at the intersection of academia, business, and civic responsibility.
