Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is partnering with six RMIT University students participating in the RMIT Activator’s Impact Academy programme to mentor them in a multidisciplinary sustainability project.
The project aims to eliminate problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic from MCEC’s events and on-site cafes by 2025. A key aspect of the project is to apply a circular economy approach to developing a solution, where students had to rethink the system to design out waste and keep materials and products in use.
MCEC’s sustainability manager, Samantha Ferrier, is the project coordinator and an example of the future career opportunities available in the sustainability field.
“It’s a unique opportunity for the industry to solve real challenges by collaborating with university students. The students are highly self-motivated and passionate and are taught to apply a design and systems thinking approach.
“Our team at MCEC is really excited to see the solutions that the students come up with because eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic is something we’ve been working towards for some time. It’s important that the events industry is doing all we can to prevent waste by redesigning the system,” she said.
The six students are studying degrees in marketing, economics and finance or information systems.
The RMIT Impact Academy is designed to deliver solutions for a sustainable future by connecting students with industry projects within a simulated modern work environment.
It runs each university semester and is currently recruiting students and industry delivery partners aligned to emerging tech for good, social impact and education futures.
