Following the memorandum of understanding signed in September last year, PepsiCo, Prince Sultan University and its Center for Sustainability and Climate have activated their first phase of student competitions, with winners announced last Monday. Cash prizes worth up to SR8,000 (SR2,130) were given to each category winner ranging from first to fifth place.
As part of the initiatives set to engage students in an experiential learning journey and help foster a circular economy in the Kingdom, PepsiCo aims to share its expertise and resources to integrate sustainability at PSU. The “Zero Waste” initiative focuses on driving circularity on campus through awareness of the zero-waste goal, with students incentivized to ideate projects and initiatives that help reduce waste on campus.
Five groups were shortlisted to present their ideas to a panel of judges, each taking on a different environmental challenge. The selection criteria focused on the originality of the initiative, the stage of action in the value chain, how stakeholders are stated and addressed, the impact of the creation, implementation ability, and how sustainably viable the initiative is in the long run.
Group 1: Watt’s the Problem? Let’s Stop Wasting Energy! presented by the College of Computer and Information Science, focused on transferring services hosted at PSU’s data center to Google Cloud through cloud computing.
Group 2: Tharb, presented by the colleges of architecture and design, engineering, business administration computer and information science, comprised an innovative app with features intended to locate specialized waste containers, reporting cases of pollution and comprehensive guides on recycling methods.
Group 3: Trash to Cash, an incentive-based project, by the colleges of engineering, computer and information science, and business administration, delved into the integration of IoT and NFC sticker tags to properly dispose of waste in smart waste bins.
Group 4: E-Waste, Time for Action, by the colleges of computer and information science, architecture and design, and law, looked into developing an electronic waste bin that sorts e-waste using sensor and RFID technology.
Group 5: Launching the Recycling Club, presented by the College of Business Administration, set out to launch a club dedicated to recycling and developing a waste management system.
While each idea impressed the judges panel of PepsiCo and PSU delegates, Group 1 came in first, receiving SR8,000 in prize money for their project. Group 2 came in second and received an award of SR6,000 while Group 3 stood third and received SR4,000. Group 4 and Group 5, which came fourth and fifth respectively, received awards of SR3,000 and SR2,000 respectively.
Aamer Sheikh, PepsiCo CEO, Middle East, said: “PepsiCo believes in the instrumental role the youth of Saudi Arabia play in driving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals toward a greener tomorrow. For over 65 years now, the Kingdom has been our home and we are proud to engage with local institutes such as Prince Sultan University to further drive our ambitious sustainability agenda. Guided by PepsiCo Positive (pep+), PepsiCo’s strategic end-to-end transformation for driving long-term sustainability, we are working toward building a circular and inclusive value chain globally. We aim to strengthen our efforts toward achieving a zero-waste future for the university campus, and challenge students to dig deeper into the issue of plastic waste and the benefits of a circular economy through academic research.”
Dr. Ahmed Yamani, president of PSU, said: “We are delighted to be working closely with PepsiCo on our Zero Waste initiative and ensuring we are aligned with the goals set for Saudi Vision 2030. The projects presented by the students are a direct reflection of PSU’s commitment to the future generation of leaders. Our students are of course our priority, and we are proud to be leading them in the right direction with PepsiCo’s sustainable agenda.”
