Sustainability and Positive Impact

Best Personal Project and Extended Essay with Impact Awards

From the 2024/25 academic year, we acknowledge the most inspiring personal projects and extended essays for their positive impact, which are awarded during SEK Day and recognised by the entire community at group events and channels.

Global Citizenship in the classroom

We implement the approach of active Global Citizenship inspired by the work of Harvard’s professor Reimers. We encourage reflection on personal purpose, community service, and challenges aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

From this perspective was born Empowering Young Voices for a Sustainable Future, an annual congress where students from Europe, the Middle East, and other international schools reflect together on sustainability and social impact.

Entrepreneurship with impact from an early age

Thanks to partnerships such as the Junior Achievement Programme, Design for Change, or our Impact Lab Junior SEK, students identify real challenges and design impactful solutions.

We also take part in other events such as Flow to the Future (Capgemini Foundation), Ecoeduca (PortAventura), Humanitarian Technology (Red Cross), or the Zayed Sustainability Prize, in the Global High Schools category.

SEKMUN

Our United Nations model, authorised by the UN since 2006, has already trained over 6,000 young people aged 15 to 18 as future diplomats. Students from our schools participate, as well as those from other educational establishments around the world (Colombia, Kuwait, Egypt, United States…).

For several days, these students take on the roles of delegates, ambassadors, and authorities to discuss, reflect, and propose solutions to challenges such as climate change, human rights, or the impact of AI.

A mindful and compassionate community

Students and teachers organise campaigns, festivals, and charity runs to support organisations such as Red Cross, CardioDreams Foundation, and Por la Sonrisa de un Niño. We also commemorate key international days such as Peace Day, Earth Day, Children’s Day, and Women’s Day, with activities to reflect, learn, and take action alongside the entire SEK community.

International Eco-Schools Network

From the year 2024/25, all our SEK International Schools have joined this global network, already comprising over 52,000 schools and more than 13 million students who share the same purpose: caring for our planet.

Through Pupil-Led Eco-Committees, the needs of each school are diagnosed and action plans are implemented in key areas such as waste, biodiversity, nutrition, student well-being, and water.

Reduction of our carbon footprint

For almost a decade, SEK-El Castillo and SEK-Catalunya have been operating with two biomass plants, resulting in an 85% reduction in emissions at these schools. Thus, we replace the consumption of diesel with wood chips from activities for fire prevention.

Furthermore, we offset our total carbon footprint with the Trees4Humanity NGO, founded by a SEK International Schools alum, with whom we have established the SEK Forest in communities in Kenya and Uganda, through the planting of over 10,000 trees.

Responsible management of waste and resources

We promote digital communications and internal processes in order to reduce paper use. We are also gradually replacing the consumption of bottled water with sources of filtered water, glass jugs, and, in unavoidable cases, 100% recycled and recyclable bottles.

These actions are reinforced by waste separation indoors and in courtyards, composting at some of our facilities, and collaborations with specialised companies for electronic or laboratory waste.

Ecosia our default search engine

Since 2025, Ecosia has become the default search engine on all our devices, having already accumulated over 208.000 searches with which we have planted more than 4.168 trees, actively contributing to ecosystem recovery through global reforestation.

Junior Advisory Board

Each year, a student advisory board advises our president, Nieves Segovia, sharing their ideas and concerns on education, sustainability, innovation, technology, or student well-being.

Engage actively with families and educators

From Family and Parent Workshops to breakfast meetings with Management, surveys, focus groups, or open sessions, we create spaces for dialogue and continuous improvement. We address topics such as digital safety, well-being and emotional management, autonomy and critical thinking, or professional development.

Recognition by UNICEF Spain

All our SEK Schools in Spain have been recognised as leading schools in Children’s Rights by UNICEF.

This programme promotes teacher training, student participation, and the creation of spaces for well-being, in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We are B Corp

SEK Education Group was the first Spanish educational institution to be certified as a B Corp in 2020. We demonstrate with evidence the high standards in social impact and well-being and environmental impact that guide our decisions and our learning experience.