From car plastic to tree cover: how students are leading sustainability solutions

The biggest environmental challenges are not always obvious. When we think about plastic, vehicles are often overlooked, but the global automotive industry generates over 5.6 million tones of plastic waste annually.

This is one of the issues being addressed in innovative ways through the Challenge-Based Innovation (CBI) program led by Esade’s Fusion Point. In areas including plastic recycling, climate resilience and resource scarcity, students work directly with companies, communities, and institutions to develop practical solutions to sustainability problems. Together, they design scalable ideas that can be applied in the real world.

Fusion Point coordinates the program, involving students from Esade, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), and the European Institute of Design (IED) Barcelona. Students traveled to the IdeaSquare innovation space at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN in French) in Geneva (CH) to brainstorm on industry challenges presented by SEAT Spanish automotive company. The social business MAD Travel based in the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University connected students with local community challenges.

CBI’s stated mission is to unite science, creativity, and technology to solve global challenges with tangible social and environmental impact. 2025’s projects focused on two main areas: the future of mobility and environmental resilience.

Giving second-hand cars an extended life

One set of projects focused on the challenge of how to extend the value and lifespan of vehicles. Collaborating with SEAT,students researched ways to make second-hand cars more reliable, longer-lasting, and sustainable.

In Europe alone, more than six million vehicles reach the end of their life every year

The SEAT & CUPRA Young team looked at mechanical refurbishment. Rather than allowing cars to degrade until they are scrapped, the team designed a reengineering program for manufacturers, which would give old cars an additional 10-year lifespan. This answers a strong demand from younger buyers looking for affordable, reliable vehicles in the €10,000–€15,000 range. Capturing this growing market while making better use of existing assets would keep a significant number of cars from being scrapped.

In parallel to this, the 46 Gear team developed ‘Carsight,’ a small encrypted device designed to store a vehicle’s full history—repairs, maintenance, and usage data. These verifiable records mean owners could demand a higher resale price. The data could help manufacturers optimize refurbishment planning, extend vehicle life and increase trust and reliability among users.

Together, these two projects are helping reduce waste from the automotive sector. This is an urgent necessity. In Europe alone, more than six million vehicles reach the end of their life every year, creating both environmental risks and lost economic value if materials and products are not reused. 

Rethinking plastic waste in the automotive industry

Inevitably, a car will reach the end of its life. Other teams focused on transforming the automotive industry towards a more circular economy by identifying areas for improvement in recycling of car parts.

Metals are commonly recovered, but plastics remain a major challenge. Just one car can contain around 240 kilograms of plastic. Currently, less than 20 per cent of plastic from end-of-life vehicles in Europe is recycled. 

Students explored three complementary solutions to improve how plastics are recovered and reused.

The Future team proposed the use of large-scale electrostatic separation technology to improve the purity of PET and PP plastics extracted following the shredding process. The result is that more recycled plastics could be used in new vehicles.

The Invictos team proposed a pilot program to remove plastic components before shredding even begins. They developed an app featuring a 3D model of the car that helps workers identify parts by material type and assess the time and cost needed to dismantle them. Using the app, companies could evaluate whether the process is economically viable and scalable.

The team built a low-tech forest health tracking system that combines solar-powered cameras and weekly satellite imagery

Supporting climate resilience in communities

The challenges didn’t only address sustainability in industry; teams were also busy working on issues faced by communities in the Philippines, where environmental risks directly impact livelihoods.

TeamTree supported the restoration of the ancestral forest belonging to the Aeta community in Zambales. The team built a low-tech forest health tracking system that combines solar-powered cameras and weekly satellite imagery. They designed an easy-to-use mobile app to help the community monitor threats, plan reforestation efforts, and manage their land more independently.

When the greater context of the Philippines’ forest management is considered, the impact of a community app like this is clear. The Philippines lost around 1.42 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2022, a decline of about 7.6 per cent. Reliable monitoring tools can make it easier to protect what remains and support long-term recovery.

Another project focused on agriculture in Yangil, where farmers are dealing with drought and unpredictable rainfall. The SmartVest team developed the Smart Rain–Biochar Program, which combines water capture, soil restoration, and community data sharing.

The proposal includes reservoirs built from lahar—local volcanic material—to capture monsoon water. Additionally, farmers can produce biochar from organic waste, which would improve soil health and retain moisture. Low-cost sensors have been developed to guide irrigation timing, and a shared data platform to connect families, young people, and local authorities.

Climate change is already affecting rainfall patterns across the country, with unpredictable and extreme weather events adding pressure on agriculture and rural communities. Small-scale, accessible tools can make a significant difference in helping communities adapt.

Learning by doing

The key to these projects’ success is collaboration. Students worked alongside businesses, local organizations, and communities to understand real needs and design practical responses.

The mix of different people, skills and perspectives opens the way for innovation toward shared goals. Instead of theoretical classroom exercises, participants understand the problem and ideate solutions engaging directly with real-world partners.

The experience is designed to be hands-on and multidisciplinary, with students, companies, and communities co-creating solutions that can be tested and improved in real settings.

Circular economy solutions

Whether extending the life of vehicles, managing drought, or restoring forests, these projects highlight the benefits of multiple stakeholder collaboration.

The challenges addressed—plastic waste, deforestation, and drought—are not going away. But when students, organizations, and local partners collaborate, new solutions become possible.

And sometimes, the first step is simply learning to see value where others see waste.