FPEmpresa showcases sustainable innovation in Spanish VET at SHU 2026
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FPEmpresa showcases sustainable innovation in Spanish VET at SHU 2026

FPEmpresa took part in the Social Hackathon Umbria 2026 (SHU 2026), held from 16 to 19 July in Cascia, Italy, as part of the international activities linked to the European ENNEPlus project. The Association participated in the event with the aim of continuing to promote the involvement of Spanish Vocational Education and Training in European spaces for innovation, sustainability and digital transformation.

Social Hackathon Umbria is an international event that brings together young people, teachers, mentors, experts and organisations from different countries to develop digital solutions with social impact. The 2026 edition focused on the co-creation of innovative projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals and included hackathons, workshops, laboratories, cultural activities and opportunities for exchange among participants.

The event was organised by European Grants International Academy (EGInA), in collaboration with Crowddreaming Hackademy Lab Foligno 4D and Screeen 2 Soul. Over four days, Cascia became a European space for learning and experimentation, where technology, creativity and collaborative work were applied to social and environmental challenges.

The initiative enabled Vocational Education and Training teams from several countries to work on eco-innovative solutions related to sustainability, digitalisation and entrepreneurship, connecting classroom learning with real-world challenges. In this context, SHU 2026 hosted a presentation session featuring the winners of the national Eco-Digithons held within the ENNEPlus project, with proposals from different European countries. Spain was represented by IES Francisco de Quevedo in Madrid, which took part with its PlastiScore Verified project, winner of the Spanish Eco-Digithon organised by FPEmpresa and Innogestiona Ambiental.

Spanish VET in a European space for social innovation

In addition to the presentation of the winning teams, the programme included the ENNEPlus International Round Table, a space for reflection and collaborative work where participants shared experiences, lessons learned and results related to the Eco-Digithon methodology, social incubation and cooperation between Vocational Education and Training institutions, organisations, companies and local stakeholders.

SHU 2026 also featured the Cascia Peace Village, a parallel programme of activities focused on peace, dialogue and coexistence. This space brought together workshops, performances, exhibitions and activities open to the public, reinforcing the event’s social and community-oriented nature.

For FPEmpresa, participation in Social Hackathon Umbria represents an opportunity to showcase the talent of Spanish Vocational Education and Training in an international context and to strengthen the role of VET institutions as agents capable of generating innovative solutions to today’s environmental and social challenges.

The ENNEPlus project and the Eco-Digithon methodology demonstrate how Vocational Education and Training can become a space for experimentation, entrepreneurship and applied innovation. Through initiatives of this kind, students not only develop technical and digital skills, but also competences related to teamwork, communication, sustainability and solving real-world problems.

PlastiScore Verified: the VET-created index making the impact of plastic visible
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PlastiScore Verified: the VET-created index making the impact of plastic visible

Some types of waste are so deeply embedded in everyday life that they become almost invisible. Packaging, wrappers, containers and single-use products. Plastic is present in thousands of consumer decisions, yet it is rarely translated into a simple figure that helps people understand its true impact. This was the starting hypothesis of the team from IES Francisco de Quevedo in Madrid, winner of first prize in the second edition of the Spanish Eco-Digithon with the PlastiScore Verified project.

The initiative, promoted by FPEmpresa and Innogestiona Ambiental within the framework of the European ENNEPlus project, is an educational marathon aimed at Vocational Education and Training institutions in which students design digital and technological prototypes to respond to real environmental and social challenges. Following a previous edition held in Extremadura, the challenge encourages solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and based on a participatory and multidisciplinary approach.

It was within this context that PlastiScore Verified was created: a tool designed to measure and make the impact of plastic visible through its own index, the PlastiScore, inspired by indicators that are easy for consumers to recognise and understand. The idea is simple in concept but ambitious in scope: to enable anyone to identify the plastic impact associated with a product, in the same way that other consumer ratings or labels are interpreted today.

“The main objective of our project is to objectively quantify the volume of plastic we generate. We believe this is necessary because, until now, nobody had approached the issue in this way,” explains the winning team.

Making an everyday problem measurable

PlastiScore Verified is rooted in a familiar reality. One of the team members works in the field of urban waste management, which made it possible to bring into the classroom a problem observed on a daily basis: the huge volume of plastic generated and the difficulty of translating that impact into clear information for consumers, institutions and companies.

The project is based on the idea that a product may perform positively in some areas while at the same time generating a negative impact because of the amount or type of plastic associated with its packaging. To make this visible, the system translates that information into its own rating scale, based on data analysis and comparison with other similar cases or reference points, helping users to better understand the resulting score.

The proposal also explores the use of technologies such as IPv6 to address the large-scale identification of products on the market, opening the door to a scalable tool connected to broader digital environments.

Behind the project is a diverse and multidisciplinary team whose members contribute complementary perspectives in areas such as negotiation, chemistry and laboratory work, computational logic, user experience, graphic design and business administration. This combination made it possible to approach the challenge from different angles, from developing the algorithm to the visual presentation of the tool and its potential evolution into a platform.

The work was developed using the team’s own methodology, known as XPR (Xtreme Programming en Recreo), based on an iterative, collaborative and creative process. For the team, taking part in the Eco-Digithon was an experience defined by high standards, learning and the challenge of turning an environmental concern into a concrete proposal. They also highlight hope and altruism, two ideas closely connected to the ultimate objective of PlastiScore Verified: creating a useful tool to address one of today’s major environmental challenges.

The first prize provides new momentum to continue exploring the project’s potential. The award includes €1,000 in equipment for the school, a €250 gift card for the coordinating teacher and the local community representative, as well as the opportunity to take part in the 10th edition of the Social Hackathon Umbria, opening up a new opportunity to further develop and share the proposal in an international setting.

Beyond the award itself, the team is already considering how to bring the idea into a real-world environment and make it available to different stakeholders: “We want to generate impact through a platform that allows public institutions to integrate this type of technology. For private companies, the idea is to offer a B2B model through which they can access this type of licence,” they explain.

PlastiScore Verified demonstrates how Vocational Education and Training can become a space for applied innovation, capable of bringing together technology, sustainability and business vision to respond to real-world problems. From an idea born in the classroom, the IES Francisco de Quevedo team has developed a solution that aims to make the impact of plastic no longer invisible, but something that can be measured, compared and understood.