Ghent students tackle plastic waste with gamified recycling solution at global environmental challenge in Shanghai

Thor, Jarne and Arthur teamed up to take part in the 2025 Global Environment Solutions Challenge (GESC), hosted by Tongji University in Shanghai. Their project, GreenChain 绿链, directly targets the massive plastic waste generated by Shanghai’s booming food delivery industry.

This year's GESC centers around the theme “Innovative Solutions to Plastic Pollution”, inviting student teams from around the world to propose scalable and impactful ideas across four challenge tracks. The team will pitch their idea to an international jury during the semi-finals & finals on June 7, 2025.

In addition, there is also a “Most Popular Team” prize, decided through public voting. This is where you can show your support! If you believe in their mission, cast your vote for Team AURORA in the “Most Popular Team” category before June 7.

GreenChain: gamified recycling system

GreenChain is a fun and easy way to fight single-use plastic in the takeaway food industry by turning everyday actions into a rewarding experience. The solution is built around a gamified recycling system that encourages customers to return used trays for rewards, while tracking their personal environmental impact.

How it works:

• Earn PlanetPoints: Customers earn PlanetPoints when they return trays to participating restaurants or couriers. These points can be can be exchanged for discounts at local businesses or even public transport incentives.
• Trackable Your Impact: The app visualises how much plastic a user has saved, reinforcing positive behaviour through data.
• Community Competition: A dynamic leaderboard encourages users to compete with others, earning badges such as “GreenNinja” and unlocking exclusive rewards for top contributors.

The trays themselves are made from recycled HDPE plastic, offering a sustainable alternative to single-use containers. By repurposing old bottles into long-lasting trays, GreenChain contributes to a circular economy. After a takeaway meal, customers can simply return their trays directly to the drivers of their next takeaway meal – convenient and easy. The trays are then cleaned and again distributed to participating restaurants.

The team plans to integrate GreenChain into WeChat as a mini-app, tapping into a platform with over a billion active users in China. This would make it highly accessible to users, eliminating the need to download a separate application. For participating restaurants, this also offers immediate visibility and promotional benefits, as their involvement in the GreenChain network will boost both their brand image and customer engagement.

Plastic crisis

In 2024, each person in Shanghai produced an average of 0.7 kilograms of plastic waste per day, with food packaging making up 35% of that total. If the government wants to meet its ambitious goal of recycling at least 40% of plastic waste by 2030 and transition to a circular economy, they must invest in sustainable, alternative solutions.

“Sustainability is a popular ideal—until it clashes with convenience. I believe that’s where the real challenge lies.” — Thor Caluwaerts