Ecologics is a youth-led sustainability and digital innovation programme that empowered university students and recent graduates to actively contribute to local green transition solutions for the industrial sector in Bursa, Türkiye. The project combined capacity building with real-life decision-making and problem-solving: young people worked on concrete challenges related to carbon emissions, water consumption and waste management, in cooperation with the municipality, universities, civil society and private-sector partners.

The programme followed a multi-stage pathway. First, an open online awareness phase reached a wide group of young people with topics such as circular economy, carbon/water footprint and AI for sustainability. Then, selected participants attended face-to-face trainings covering sustainability fundamentals, generative AI tools, project cycle management and design thinking. In the next stage, finalist teams worked with industry-related cases and mentoring support to develop feasible solutions. The process culminated in an intensive hackathon and a public final event where teams presented their proposals to a jury, received feedback, and the most promising solutions were awarded and encouraged for further development.

By linking youth learning with local stakeholders and real-world environmental priorities, Ecologics strengthened young people’s skills, agency and participation in sustainability-related decision-making at the local level.