The consumption of goods and services is familiar to every one of us. It is something that we all do and yet our society hardly seems to reflect on its own practices and the consequences. As international trade steadily increases, consumption is one of the major drivers responsible for global resource use, environmental pressures and impacts on society.

The United Nations stated, that if the worlds’ population should reach 9.6 billion in 2050, we would need almost the equivalent of three planets to support us with natural resources in order to sustain our current lifestyle. Thus, it is necessary to develop innovative solutions towards this problem and its consequences. That is why this years’ GESS topic is dedicated to the global challenges of consumption.

While all ideas were great, there can only be one winner per city. The winning teams were:

Shanghai Panda: An online platform that enables lower-income families to get quality baby products for a reduced price. In this way overconsumption of baby products.

Mexico City Bakhan: A solution that connects consumers with urban farmers in India to ensure a more sustainable way for locals to access fresh food and reduce food waste.

Munich HtoO: They came up with an efficient way to decrease water consumption in showers by triggering positive behavioral.

Cape Town Grape: This innovative group is using grape marc (wine-making waste) as an alternative to fast food and take-away food packaging.

The 10th edition of GESS was all about tackling the global food challenge. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 795 million people are still suffering from hunger. Yet, our global food waste could feed three billion people every year. During a seven-day period, interdisciplinary student teams developed business models within the problem area “food”, which are economically viable and have a lasting positive influence on society.

While all ideas were great, alas, there can only be one winner. The winning teams in Munich were: ‘happiNGA’, for developing an innovative solution which markets the Moringa powder as a lifestyle product in industrial countries to support malnourished families in rural India with its revenues. The Katzy Award was won by ‘Foodcast’, for the most innovative solution – an application which allows retailers to forecast customer food demands with the goal of to reducing food waste in Nigeria.

In the weeks prior to GESS Munich, GESS took place in Mexico City and Shanghai, where winning solutions comprised an innovative drone system to detect crop diseases (‘GESSadilla’, Mexico City) as well as an instant vegetable stock that contained safe, healthy, and nutritious condiments to reduce vegetable waste and replace conventional products (‘Instant Health’ Shanghai).

Have a look at our highlights from GESS 2017 and check out our video here!

The 9th edition of GESS was all about migration. Students from all over the world came to Mexico City, Shanghai or Munich. In an increasingly connected and globalized world, international migration is a widespread term and has become a reality that involves everyone and is one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century. Nowadays, there are many reasons why people have to leave their home country, among others there’s war, poverty, inequality and a lack of jobs or simply the search for a better future.

The winning team in Munich “miHealth” developed an app, tackling health problems of refugees in Europe. The team in Shanghai “Unloop” was all about helping migrant workers changing the experience of tourists in China. And in Mexico City, the winner team “Re-Work” has developed a concept to train refugees who are waiting for a work permit.

Simply being young can be a reason why you will not find a job. Millions of youths are currently unemployed – with an upward trend. The International Labour Organization is warning of a „lost generation“ – a nationwide desperation of young people. That´s why 2015´s topic of GESS was: youth unemployment.
But our participants did not seem lost at all. They were pretty focused, trying to find solutions against this global problem. The most convincing idea aroused from team GEAR UP.

Their vision: certificates and references will be a back number soon. In the virtual online game GEAR UP, gamers can click through the basic levels until they are automatically enabled to work on real challenges that have been announced by companies.  The 360°- performance analysis of applicants has convinced the jury. The winning team was invited to a conference by the Goethe-Institut in Weimar. Find out more.

For more information, check out our GESS blog 2015!

If we don’t find solutions quickly, the world will suffocate from its own waste. Worldwide, 3.5 million tons of garbage were produced in 2013 – in one day. And the numbers are increasing.

But how can we prevent this scenario? The challenge in 2014 was to find innovative business models to minimize the waste problem. And maximize social impact. So our 35 students did.

Like the winning team SmartLink. Their idea is helping farmers like Lukyamuzi Mohamed in Uganda. In the past, around 50 percent of his harvest has gone to waste due to bad possibilities of transport and storage. SmartLink collect the farmers´ crop, pay them a fair prize and continue selling it further.

Sponsored by our partner, the Goethe-Institut, they were part of the Social Entrepreneurship Weekend in Thessaloniki. The GESS team is currently working on creating a sustainable distribution centre.

To find out more check out our blog or learn more about SmartLink.