Brussels, 7 May 2025, The Sci-Tech Challenge, a collaboration between JA Europe and ExxonMobil, marked its 16th year with resounding success, once again uniting young minds from across Europe to tackle global challenges through the power of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Launched to inspire students aged 15–18 to pursue STEM careers and apply critical skills to real-world problems, the initiative has grown into a powerful platform for innovation, sustainability, and youth empowerment.
“For 16 years, the Sci-Tech Challenge has united us in our shared passion for science and innovation,” said Philippe Ducom, President of ExxonMobil Europe.
This year’s edition challenged students to develop innovative solutions to one of today’s most urgent challenges: plastic waste. Teams were tasked with answering a complex question: how can we optimally combine mechanical and chemical recycling technologies to process plastic waste more efficiently?
Chemical and mechanical recycling complement each other by processing plastic waste in different ways to create new products. The challenge invited students to think critically about how to boost circularity and create scalable, sustainable systems for waste reduction.
Among the many brilliant solutions presented, the spotlight shone brightest on the NeverEnding Plastic team, winners of this year’s Sci-Tech Challenge. The group impressed judges with a bold and comprehensive take. They proposed a unified system to handle plastics that are currently left out of the recycling processes. How? By using mechanical methods for certain types of plastics, and chemical recycling for more complex or contaminated ones. The team’s goal was to maximize resource recovery and minimize environmental impact.
“For 16 years, the Sci-Tech Challenge has empowered students across Europe to transform scientific knowledge into real-world solutions, tackling urgent challenges like plastic waste. As a proud contributor to the EU’s STEM Initiative and the Union of Skills, our project fosters the next generation of innovators driving Europe’s sustainable and competitive future.” noted Diana Filip, Deputy CEO of JA Europe.
We are deeply grateful to the thought leaders who helped guide and inspire this journey: our keynote speakers: Diana Filip, Deputy CEO and Chief Development Officer at JA Europe, Nikolaas Baeckelmans, Vice President European Union Affairs at ExxonMobil, Isabelle Le Galo Flores, Secretary-General at European Economic and Social Committee, Dana Adriana Puia Morel, Expert on women’s entrepreneurship and girls in STEM/ESTEAM at European Commission; and judges: Nikolaas Baeckelmans, Vice President European Union Affairs at ExxonMobil, Vincenzo Gente, Policy Officer, From Waste to Resources at European Commission, DG ENV, Virginia Janssens, Managing Director at Plastics Europe, Chiara Colella Kyriakou, Policy Assistant, Digital Education at European Commission, DG EAC, as well as our career talk speakers: Philippe Ducom, President at ExxonMobil Europe, Manuel Irun Molina, EIT Liaison Officer, Head of Public & Community Affairs at European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and Diana Filip, Deputy CEO and Chief Development Officer at JA Europe.
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network provided nearly 7 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy and petrochemical companies, creates solutions that improve quality of life and meet society’s evolving needs.
The corporation’s primary businesses – Upstream, Product Solutions and Low Carbon Solutions – provide products that enable modern life, including energy, chemicals, lubricants, and lower emissions technologies. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading portfolio of resources, and is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants and chemical companies in the world.
In 2021, ExxonMobil announced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emission-reduction plans for 2030 for operated assets, compared to 2016 levels. The plans are to achieve a 20-30% reduction in corporate-wide greenhouse gas intensity; a 40-50% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity of upstream operations; a 70-80% reduction in corporate-wide methane intensity; and a 60-70% reduction in corporate-wide flaring intensity.
With advancements in technology and the support of clear and consistent government policies, ExxonMobil aims to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from its operated assets by 2050. To learn more, visit exxonmobil.com and ExxonMobil’s Advancing Climate Solutions.
