UL SEB Sustainability Initiatives
At the SEB, we are committed to sustainable development and social responsibility. We systematically integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our curricula and research activities, shaping future leaders who understand the complexities of global challenges. Through initiatives such as the promotion of diversity and the inclusion of minorities, we strive to create an environment based on equality and respect.
In addition, through student competitions such as the European Ethics Bowl (EEB) and events such as the UL SEB Sustainability Week, we encourage dialogue on the importance of ethics, sustainability, and innovation. These initiatives not only strengthen the academic environment, but also connect students, researchers, and the wider community in pursuit of a better and more inclusive future.
In today's world, faced with many challenges, it is crucial that we as future leaders and professionals understand the wider context of sustainability. With this event, we want to stimulate a debate on how the business world and society as a whole can act more sustainably. The School of Economics and Business Sustainability Week brings together a variety of events including roundtables, talks and workshops to encourage reflection, innovation and action for a more sustainable future.
UL SEB Sustainability Week 2024
The first Sustainability Week took place in April 2024. We organised a pedagogical conference, round tables, workshops and lectures as well as various supporting activities. We also launched the "UL SEB collects steps" campaign to encourage activity and participation. We are proud to have achieved and far exceeded our goal of collecting 3,000,000 steps in five days. In total, we collected 8,188,904 steps.
UL SEB Sustainability Week 2025
During the week of 14-18 April 2025, the School of Economics and Business will once again host a Sustainability Week to address the key sustainability challenges facing society today. We have prepared a wide range of activities that address a broad spectrum of sustainability challenges while providing opportunities for learning, discussion and networking.
Among others, we will have Petra Parovel (SWY Brand), Jernej Ogrin (The Last Diet) and Mateja Lenarčič (Institut Medius) as guests who will share their knowledge, insights and experiences in their respective fields. Join us for our UL SEB Collects Steps campaign. This year we have increased our target to 10,000,000 steps - a real challenge that we can only achieve together!
You can find the full programme on this link.
We follow the UN Sustainable Development Goals primarily through research publications and the inclusion of sustainable topics in educational programs.
In light of the School's commitment to sustainability and sustainability goals, from the 2020/2021 academic year, all first-year undergraduate students are included in specially organised workshops that take place during the first week of study. All of our students' written work also includes the SDGs that the work addresses. Through these activities, we aim to encourage students to think more critically.
We recognise sustainability as an overarching research priority. In 2022, 89% of research publications were relevant to the achievement of one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The top three UN SDGs covered in UL SEB research publications are:
The ten most common topics of UN SDGs discussed in the courses at UL SEB programmes are digitalisation, innovation, digital transformation, corporate social responsibility, COVID-19, sustainable growth, economic productivity, consumption, demographic change, and economic development.
The UN SDGs whose content is most often covered by the UL SEB courses are:
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students with special needs
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Students with special status due to high level of sport or cultural engagement
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students with motherhood or fatherhood status
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tutors
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volunteer tutoring
Diversity and the integration of diverse faculty stakeholders into a unified faculty community is one of the faculty’s strategic priorities. At UL SEB, we establish an inclusive environment that allows for a broad exchange of ideas, which is key to innovation and excellence. We strive to ensure equal opportunities for all students, which is why we employ a special advisor for students with special status. Our campus is also adapted for people with reduced mobility.
You can find out more about special statuses here.
European Ethics Bowl 2025
The overall theme of the 2025 competition was announced on 24 February 2025. All case studies this year therefore relate to the theme "The ethics of truth and information".
The first case study that will be used for the national competitions in each country is titled "The Rise of Misinformation and Disinformation in the Digital Age". You can read it here.
The semi-final and final rounds of the competition, hosted this year by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University, will take place in Bulgaria from 21-23 November 2025.
European Ethics Bowl 2024
The fifth edition of the European Ethics Bowl took place in 2024. The main theme of the competition was "Ethics and Artificial Intelligence". The semi-final and final rounds of the competition were hosted by UL SEB from 8 to 10 November 2024. Ten teams from nine European universities and the European Investment Bank's alumni programme took part. After intensive debate rounds, the teams from Croatia and Portugal qualified for the grand final. In the end, the Croatian team from the University of Rijeka won by a narrow margin.
European Ethics Bowl 2023
The European Ethics Bowl 2023 focussed on the topic of Ethics in sport. The semi-final and final rounds of the competition were hosted by UL SEB from 17 to 19 November 2023. 10 teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovenia took part in the competition. In the final confrontation, the Bulgarian team from Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” won by a few points ahead of the Portuguese team.
European Ethics Bowl 2022
The third edition of the European Ethics Bowl took place in 2022 and was the first to be held live. The main theme of the competition was "Standardisation in the business world". The semi-finals took place from 11 to 13 November at UL SEB, while the grand final was held in Luxembourg at the European Investment Bank. The final was won by the Portuguese team, who beat the French and Bulgarian teams after a long debate between the judges.
