SOLAREST turns corporate sustainability into a classroom challenge
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SOLAREST turns corporate sustainability into a classroom challenge

How can an industrial company move towards a more sustainable model without giving up innovation? This question provided the starting point for SOLAREST, an educational project in which students from CIFP N1 de Santander applied the content of the Sustainability Applied to the Productive Sector module to a business scenario. Within the framework of the Zinkers VET Programme promoted by Fundación Repsol, the students developed a Corporate Sustainability Plan for a fictitious company specialising in the design and manufacture of blinds and solar shading systems.

The proposal is based on a clear idea: sustainability should no longer be approached only from a theoretical perspective, but instead become a practical tool for analysing and transforming the way a company operates. To achieve this, the students examined SOLAREST’s context, identified its main stakeholders and analysed environmental, social and governance challenges.

Based on this assessment, the students defined measurable objectives, proposed improvement measures and established indicators to monitor results. The process was developed progressively throughout the academic year, following a structure similar to that of a real corporate sustainability plan and incorporating issues related to innovation and the circular economy.

The result made it possible to approach sustainability from a comprehensive perspective. In addition to addressing its environmental and social dimensions, students also incorporated economic, technological and ethical aspects by preparing objective and indicator tables, ESG analyses, infographics, life-cycle diagrams and a range of improvement proposals.

From the classroom to a blind capable of generating energy

The origins of SOLAREST are directly linked to content previously covered in class. As part of the module, students worked on a learning activity focused on solar photovoltaic energy, analysing how these systems operate and studying components such as panels, inverters, batteries, controllers, wiring and protection devices. The activity concluded with the design of a photovoltaic system for a specific installation, connecting sustainability with electricity, electronics and energy efficiency.

This learning experience later provided the basis for a brainstorming session aimed at imagining how an industrial company could evolve towards a more sustainable model. Among the ideas proposed was the possibility of integrating photovoltaic solar panels into solar shading systems, a concept that eventually shaped the development of a photovoltaic blind.

The Sustainability Plan therefore includes two particularly significant product lines. The first is SOLAREST EcoLine Bamboo, a blind made from renewable materials and designed according to ecodesign and circularity principles. The second is a pilot-stage photovoltaic blind, conceived to integrate renewable energy generation directly into solar shading systems.

For this latter proposal, the students also drew on existing technological references, including a demonstrator developed by Saule Technologies and a flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) module developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, linked to the integration of photovoltaic generation into solar shading elements.

A plan built through collaboration

Student participation shaped the entire development of SOLAREST. Following an initial joint phase of analysis and brainstorming, the students organised themselves into small groups, with each team taking responsibility for a specific section of the Sustainability Plan. This allowed them to explore different areas in greater depth while maintaining an overall view of the proposal.

The students took part in decision-making, information gathering, the definition of objectives and measures, and the creation of visual and communication materials. The project thus became a shared learning process in which each participant was able to contribute through their knowledge, interests and technical skills.

This methodology also helped develop transversal skills such as critical thinking, communication, organisation, teamwork, technical creativity, analytical ability and responsibility.

The main impact of SOLAREST is precisely educational. Through the project, students were able to understand sustainability as a professional competence closely linked to their future careers, while also working on content related to electronics, energy efficiency, sensor technology, automation and applied innovation.

CIFP Nº1 de Santander wins the Higher VET Zinkers Award with its SOLAREST project
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CIFP Nº1 de Santander wins the Higher VET Zinkers Award with its SOLAREST project

Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional Nº1 de Santander, a member school of FPEmpresa, has been named overall winner in the Higher Vocational Education and Training category at the 5th edition of the Zinkers Awards (the 1st edition to include VET), promoted by Fundación Repsol. The award recognised its project SOLAREST: Corporate Sustainability Plan, a proposal that integrates sustainability into an industrial company operating in the solar shading sector.

The 2026 Zinkers Awards ceremony was held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid and brought together representatives from the education and institutional sectors to recognise schools’ commitment to innovation, sustainability and the energy transition. This year, the awards introduced new categories for Intermediate and Higher Vocational Education and Training, further strengthening the presence of VET within the Zinkers educational programmes.

The winning project from CIFP Nº1 de Santander presented a corporate sustainability plan based on the circular economy, energy efficiency and the use of sustainable materials. The proposal also included the development of photovoltaic blinds capable of generating renewable energy, alongside measures related to employee well-being, ethical governance and the definition of measurable objectives to ensure real long-term impact.

Each overall winning school received €15,000 to develop an educational innovation project at its facilities. In the field of Vocational Education and Training, IES Lacimurga Constantia Iulia, located in Navalvillar de Pela, Badajoz, was also named overall winner in the Intermediate VET category for its Olive-Circular Hub project, focused on designing a corporate sustainability plan applicable to the olive oil sector.

The overall awards were presented by Abelardo de la Rosa, Secretary of State for Education, and Esther Monterrubio, Secretary General for Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Education.

Member schools bringing sustainability into the classroom

In addition to the overall award won by CIFP Nº1 de Santander, other FPEmpresa member schools were also recognised in this edition with a €2,500 prize to carry out an educational innovation project and an activity with the winning students.

In the Intermediate Vocational Education and Training category, the recognised member school was EFA El Soto, in Chauchina, Granada. In the Higher Vocational Education and Training category, the awarded member schools were IES Hermanos Machado, in Dos Hermanas, Seville, and IES Azuer, in Manzanares, Ciudad Real.

During the opening of the event, António Calçada, CEO of Fundación Repsol, congratulated all the participating schools and placed particular emphasis on the role of teachers in preparing the projects. “The Zinkers Awards are much more than a recognition; they are a celebration of the transformative power of education and a way of thanking teachers for your commitment,” he said.

Calçada also highlighted that more and more young people have the opportunity to engage with some of the major challenges that will define the 21st century, such as energy, sustainability, climate change, innovation and technological transformation. In this regard, he praised the work of teachers in bringing these conversations into the classroom “with rigour, knowledge and critical thinking”.

One of the highlights of the event was the participation of Jon Hernández, science communicator and artificial intelligence expert, who delivered the talk “The Greatest Educational Revolution in Hist-AI-ry”, focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on learning and the education system.

The Zinkers Awards are part of Fundación Repsol’s commitment to education in energy and sustainability. To be eligible for these awards, participating schools were required to demonstrate the knowledge acquired throughout the academic year by implementing the Zinkers programmes in the classroom, highlighting their commitment to environmental education and sustainable development.

The entries were assessed by a committee of experts in education, pedagogy and sustainability, which reviewed the projects and statements prepared by the students, including learning outcomes, commitments and proposed actions aimed at contributing to a more sustainable planet and generating a positive impact on a global scale.

Zinkers is an educational initiative promoted by Fundación Repsol that provides digital curricular resources for Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education and Training. In the case of VET, FPEmpresa collaborates in the dissemination of the Zinkers VET platform, which provides teachers with content designed to bring students closer to the major challenges of the future through knowledge, academic rigour and practical classroom application.

Zinkers currently has nearly 8,000 participating Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education and Training schools, more than 12,300 registered teachers and over 300,000 students across Spain.

More than 400 teachers register for Zinkers VET online training activities during the first half of the year
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More than 400 teachers register for Zinkers VET online training activities during the first half of the year

Zinkers FP, the free educational programme promoted by Fundación Repsol and aimed at Vocational Education and Training teachers, registered more than 400 teachers for its online training activities during the first half of the year. The initiative, whose dissemination is supported by FPEmpresa, continues to bring resources and tools into the classroom to help teachers address sustainability applied to the productive sector.

Throughout this period, a range of webinars and workshops were held to support teachers in integrating sustainability into their classes. Specifically, two Zinkers VET Sustainability Workshops were organised, with 151 registered teachers; two Zinkers VET Webinars: Basic Training in Sustainability, with 190 registered teachers; and one Zinkers VET Webinar: Learn How to Personalise Your Classroom, which attracted 77 registered teachers.

These training activities reinforce Zinkers VET’s aim of providing teachers with educational resources tailored to Vocational Education and Training and linked to the Cross-Curricular Sustainability Module. The programme offers teachers content and tools to address sustainability from a practical perspective, connected to the challenges of the productive sector and to students’ future professional environments.

Bringing sustainability into the VET classroom

Zinkers VET is designed to support teachers in integrating sustainability across different areas of learning through materials that make it possible to address the established learning outcomes and bring them into the classroom through dynamic and practical activities.

Among its resources is the WE ARE PROFESSIONALS challenge, an activity in which students can develop a sustainability plan, devise solutions based on real-world problems and apply the knowledge they have acquired to current business management. In this way, the programme helps students develop skills related to sustainability, innovation and decision-making in professional contexts.

The activities carried out during the first half of the year have continued to bring these contents closer to VET teachers and make it easier to adapt them to different educational settings. In this regard, basic sustainability training attracted the highest level of participation, while the sessions focused on classroom personalisation reinforced the practical value of the resources for direct use in teaching.