Recognising sustainability excellence in the classroom

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Recognising sustainability excellence in the classroom

The RMIT Student Award for Excellence in Sustainability recognises sustainability as a mark of excellence and a worthy academic achievement.

Students are no strangers to sustainability. They plant trees, organise cleanups, join green clubs and swap plastic bottles for prizes. Green activities are everywhere. But there is still a gap. Students often see these initiatives as extracurriculars, separate from their coursework. Students usually participate in one-off events- something that looks good on a resume but does not reflect their day-to-day habits. They might participate in a weekend cleanup but still toss everything into the same rubbish bin at home.

This creates a disconnection. Too often, students perceive sustainability as an add-on, not something they live. Students know it's important, but they have not made it part of their thinking. This is where RMIT comes in. RMIT weaves sustainability into actual learning, not just with scattered activities. In an RMIT Sustainability & Creativity class, students created a project that teamed prominent sustainability partner Lại Đây Refill Station with schools and local artisans to collect plastic waste. The idea was to transform the waste into new and usable goods. The project addressed all three pillars of sustainability in business: the environment, for social good and economics, creating tangible value for stakeholders.

15 June 2026

Six people stand in a classroom, with three students holding certificates in front of a screen displaying “2025 RMIT Vietnam Student Award for Excellence in Sustainability.”

From optional to core

Projects like the partnership with Lại Đây Refill Station are innovative in their approach to sustainability. Through research and creativity, students identify wicked problems, fill gaps via local collaborations and create scalable solutions for greater impact. RMIT University believes such projects should be recognised and has created an RMIT Student Award for Excellence in Sustainability. The award encourages students across all programs to recognise and celebrate work that proves sustainability as a core principle across all fields of study and professions.

To win the award, students submit existing assignments that exemplify sustainable thinking, whether environmental, social or economic for evaluation. The award validates the meaningful work students are already doing, highlighting their commitment to sustainability.

The award welcomes every discipline. Current project leader, Associate Professor Justin Battin shared, “this award is not limited to any discipline, as long as you can demonstrate that you've completed an assessment that uniquely and innovatively contributes to sustainable practice, your work can be recognised. Inclusivity is what sets this award apart. Business students, designers, and engineers are all invited to show how their work contributes to sustainable practice. In the previous two years, students from Design Studies, Professional Communication, Fashion Enterprise, Digital Marketing and Robotics and Mechanical Engineering have all been recognised”.

Beyond the checkbox

As a university committed to impact, RMIT has consistently sponsored sustainability focused workshops, industry events and competitions. With this award, RMIT University wants students to see how their course work can make a genuine difference in addressing sustainability challenges. The RMIT Student Award for Excellence in Sustainability recognises sustainability as a mark of excellence and a worthy academic achievement. More than a nice-to-have, sustainability is a fundamental part of RMIT student education.

Authors: Mai Tran Ha Vy, Nguyen Le Bang Linh, Luong Trang Anh, Nguyen Minh Chau

Recognising sustainability excellence in the classroom