This initiative in sustainable development in the education offered by the School is unique and has been made possible by a donation from the Global Challenges Foundation. The two-year educational track is mandatory for all students on the School’s largest program, the Bachelor Program in Business and Economics.

As their final examination on the very first Global Challenges track, students have now had the opportunity to present how they can contribute personally to one or more of the UN’s 17 sustainability goals.  

“We must all contribute to sustainable development and this is our way of scaling up and providing students tools they can use to make a real difference. They will then be able to take this knowledge and experience with them in their careers, including in positions of influence,” says Emma Stenström, one of the teachers responsible for the Global Challenges track.

The projects were highly varied, with the students having applied their new knowledge and insight to craft creative and innovative projects. The 47 different projects included everything from consulting assignments, start-up companies, panel debates and high school initiatives to artistic projects, such as dance performances and films.

As an example, one of the project groups concluded that if all of the approximately 280 students on the track were to maximize their careers from the point of view of sustainability, they would together be able to save as many as 559,129 lives. 

“Global Challenges is definitely a step in the right direction for SSE. One of the things that most exceeded my expectations was learning so much about self-reflection and awareness during my time at the School,” says Antonia Alan, a student at the Stockholm School of Economics.

The Global Challenges Expo at the School on May 22 brought together students, the Global Challenges Foundation, lecturers from the track, alumni, social entrepreneurs and representatives from the public, private and non-profit sectors.

During the event, the students presented their projects and the Global Challenges Best Project Award was presented to the winning project ‘Think ABOUT the Box’, which collaborated with Adlibris to make its packaging more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. The project group hopes to be able to scale up the model for broader application in e-commerce.

Read more about the program and the student projects here:
www.hhs.se/gc-expo 

For further information, please contact:

Hanna Flodmark, Communication and Marketing Manager at the Stockholm School of Economics
hanna.flodmark@hhs.se