January saw the launch of two major Oxford Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Impact Lab programmes – the easyJet holidays Sustainable Tourism Programme and the BMW Group Plant Oxford Programme.

Established in 2021, in collaboration with founding partner, easyJet holidays, the Lab brings together Oxford’s research expertise with partners across sectors to equip students with the skills to deliver real-world change through the UN’s 17 SDGs – a global call to action to improve human lives and protect the environment, focusing on tackling issues such as health, education, inequality, and climate change.

As part of the BMW Group Plant Oxford Programme, the Fellows will work on projects focusing on new ways of addressing employee wellbeing, the local Oxford community and the plant’s impact on the environment.

With the Lab’s founding partner, easyJet holidays, 20 new Oxford SDG Impact Lab Fellows will continue the work started last year to help make easyJet holidays an industry leader on sustainable tourism. They will work with a variety of stakeholders, from local businesses to government officials, NGOs and tourist boards to address challenges in specific Mediterranean tourism destinations, as well as working with governments and the United Nations to advance industry-wide progress.

Professor Alexander Betts, Co-Founder of the SDG Impact Lab said,

“We are incredibly excited to announce our new partnership with the BMW Group, while continuing our work with easyJet holidays. These collaborations offer Oxford students the opportunity to apply their talents to address real-world challenges of both global and local importance, while gaining hands-on experience of working with businesses.”

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