We were very pleased to meet again for the implementation of the 9th edition of Sustainability Festival 2024. The dynamic creativity of the spring during the event on 25 April, contributed to the success of the festival in all dimensions in a truly refreshing way.
The organization of this event, under the auspices of the Dean of the Faculty of Business Management of the UE in Bratislava (EUBA) Assoc. prof. Ing. Anita Romanová, PhD. and with the special support of the Rector of EUBA prof. Ing. Ferdinand Daňo, PhD. was coordinated by the Ethics Committee of the University of Economics in Bratislava under the leadership of its chairwoman doc. Ing. Mgr. Gabriela Dubcova, PhD. The festival was structured into two categories under the competence of 2 commissions:
- "The Best Practice with Largest Positive Impacts“ (Commission of Experts in Practice)
- "The Best Dissemination" (Commission of Teachers)
The essence of this project is to present a "best practice" project of 3 students from 3 countries around the world, who are engaged in a comparative analysis of a selected current ESG issue in their home countries in relation to at least one of the SDGs, focusing in particular on recommendations for sustainable solutions for the future.
SF'24 was officially opened by Assoc. prof. Ing. Nora Grisáková, PhD. Vice Dean for Development and Quality at FPM EUBA. She appreciated the students' active interest in corporate social responsibility, ethical behaviour, ESG and sustainable development, and also and optimistically wished the competitors a successful course and successful presentations. The event was moderated by Assoc. prof. Ing. Mgr. Gabriela Dubcová, PhD., expert guarantor of the event.
4 teams with members from 6 countries (Slovakia, Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Portugal and Greece) fulfilled the competition requirements and represented not only their universities but also their countries in an erudite and enthusiastic manner. The competition, especially the attractive topics of the presentations and the communication, was extremely exciting for all participants. The topics were very challenging and the way the teams handled them was very evocative and motivating - like a labyrinthine journey connecting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
In each category, the teams were awarded diplomas and valuable prizes. The awarding of prizes and diplomas was carried out by members of the Expert Practitioners Committee (as EUBA trains its students especially for responsible partners applying ESG principles). Also this year, special prizes were awarded for the exceptional performance of the competing teams: the Rector's Award and the Dean's Award.
Special thanks go to our excellent accountability partners for their valuable time, erudite friendly communication and most importantly the very valuable, inspiring and motivating in-kind prizes and experiential gifts: Beko Europe, dm drogerie markt Slovakia, COOP Jednota Slovensko, CocaCola HBC ČR a SR, Medový obchod CERAMEL, LYRA GROUP, Herbex, NOVOFRUCT SK.
Let's take a look at some of the statements of satisfied participants:
- "I had a fantastic time at the sustainability festival today! The event was well-organized and provided insightful information about eco-friendly practices. I appreciated the engaging workshops, I look forward to attending future events and continuing to learn about sustainability." (Boran, Turkey)
- „Participating in the Sustainability Festival was truly inspiring, especially having the opportunity to share insights about the Terra dei Fuochi reality in my country, Italy. It was empowering to contribute to such an important conversation and to connect with others passionate students like me from so many different parts of the world about creating positive change for our planet. The experience left me feeling hopeful and motivated to continue advocating for sustainable practices in my community.“ (Greta, Italy)
- "The festival was a very interesting and useful experience for us as students. I personally liked working in an international team the most because all the topics discussed by the other students had a relevant impact." (Radovan, Slovakia)
- "The Sustainability Festival 2024 was inspiring and dynamic, with international student teams comparing and discussing solutions from different countries in areas such as waste management, anti-corruption policies and fast fashion, highlighting the global approach to sustainability." (Matej Černý, Member of the Commission for EUBA)
- "I'm always very keen to get personally involved in any SF series. This year's SF24 was again interesting with its inclusion of students, attractive themes and most importantly, original innovative solutions. I look forward to our participation and support again next year, but especially recommend this effective as well as creative form of learning to as many international students as possible." (Jaroslav Grigar, Beko Europe, Chairman of the Commission)
On behalf of the EUBA Ethics Committee, we thank all participants who contributed in any way to the successful implementation of this unique event. On behalf of our students/participants, we express our sincere thanks (also in this form) to all the involved partner companies for their inspiring commitment, friendly erudite cooperation and very attractive motivational methodological sustainable input for the formation of moral social awareness in favour of ethical ESG and sustainability behaviour in young prospective managers and economists for the future. We are very pleased to invite you to SF'25.
