EAE Barcelona MBA students present Coca-Cola with solutions for a more sustainable hospitality sector
- Four teams comprising 13 students developed proposals focusing on water and energy savings, reducing food waste and monitoring the Hostelería #PorElClima program, using agile methodologies and field research.
EAE Barcelona has held a new edition of the MBA Sustainability Sprint in collaboration with Coca-Cola. Over the course of a week, 13 MBA students, divided into four teams, worked on Hostelería #PorElClima (Hospitality for the Climate), a program that aims to develop solutions to real-world sustainability challenges facing the hospitality sector.
The project covered four areas: making better use of food products through food banks, monitoring establishments participating in the program, improving the energy efficiency of refrigeration equipment, and reducing water consumption in restaurants and cafés.
The students presented their proposals to Coca-Cola representatives on 23 October in EAE Barcelona's Ágora room. The activity gave them the opportunity to apply their MBA knowledge to a real-world business challenge and explore different dimensions of sustainability from a cross-disciplinary perspective.
Four proposals to improve sustainability in the hospitality sector
The MBA Sustainability Sprint 2026 began on 16 October, when Coca-Cola presented the challenge. Students analysed the areas covered by Hostelería #PorElClima and selected the challenges they would tackle in their proposals.
One team worked on solutions to reduce waste and facilitate the redistribution of food products through food banks. Another explored ways to improve auditing and monitoring of establishments actively participating in the program. The remaining two teams focused on reducing the energy consumption of refrigeration equipment and optimizing water use in hospitality establishments.
To develop their proposals, students applied the Design Sprint methodology and tools such as Kanban and Validation Board. The process combined documentary and statistical analysis with field research, interviews, observation and validation testing. Throughout the different stages of the project, they received guidance from EAE Barcelona lecturer Joan Manuel Torres.
Hostelería #PorElClima: the project's business challenge
Hostelería #PorElClima is an initiative run by Coca-Cola and ECODES, with the strategic support of Hostelería de España, which promotes climate action among bars, restaurants and cafés. It aims to help establishments reduce their environmental impact and move towards net-zero emissions before 2050.
The program brings together more than 50 practical measures across six areas: water conservation, energy efficiency, responsible consumption, sustainable mobility, waste management and carbon footprint. Through a platform offering tools and resources, businesses can identify opportunities for improvement and adopt measures that also help reduce consumption and operating costs.
Coca-Cola returns to EAE Barcelona's MBA Sustainability Sprint
The 2026 edition marks Coca-Cola's return to EAE Barcelona's MBA Sustainability Sprint following its participation in 2022. On that occasion, the challenge set by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners focused on reinforcing the value of returnable glass as a sustainable alternative for the HoReCa sector.
This latest edition renews the collaboration with a challenge linked to Hostelería #PorElClima, once again giving students first-hand experience of the sustainable transformation challenges facing a company and an entire business sector.