As the push for green transition accelerates, ESG is increasingly making its way into universities rather than remaining solely a corporate concern. Through academic courses, competitions, hands-on projects and partnerships with businesses, students are being exposed to sustainability issues from an early stage. The shift is also reshaping the role of universities. Beyond providing academic knowledge, higher education institutions are becoming platforms that connect students with industry practices and help cultivate the workforce needed for a more sustainable economy. Last weekend, at the final round of the ZESG 2026 competition, organized by the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) of the University of Economics HCMC (UEH) for students across the city, I was struck by how both contestants and audience members were highly responsive to questions surrounding ESG and sustainable development. The student projects also went far beyond theoretical simulations, closely reflecting issues that businesses are increasingly concerned about, including biodegradable packaging and organic-material straws; platforms connecting surplus food supplies; toy production models using sugarcane and coffee waste; and solutions supporting emissions measurement and reduction management in port operations. The projects were guided by experienced mentors, including ESG managers and corporate sustainability experts, following a series of intensive training sessions led by […]
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