Raising the bar for sustainability at the L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2020 Grand Finale

On 9th September students from across B-Schools and Engineering colleges got together for the L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2020 Grand Finale. A collective effort to raise the bar for sustainability globally! The fourth edition of the sustainability challenge witnessed participation of about 4000 teams, 10 out of which made it to the grand finale. With the theme of L'Oréal for the future, the national finalists presented some groundbreaking ideas. 

With 3,19,110 impressions and 13,500+ registrations, the L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2020 left an indelible mark on the students of both Engineering colleges and B-Schools. Artistically divided into three rounds, the L'Oréal Sustainability Challenge 2020 judged participants on their ability to innovate and remodel the existing system to make it sustainable. The competition kick-started with a Treasure Hunt and Brand Story game where teams were required to clear both to access the case study for the next round. 

The second round revealed the Case Study where participants had to submit a 1-Slider Executive Summary of their innovative idea. 10 teams, shortlisted in this semi-final round, made it to the virtual grand finale. The top 10 teams there got an opportunity to talk about their big idea in detail in front of an esteemed panel of judges.  

The 10 finalist teams competed amongst themselves for the coveted title amidst a jury panel of 4 judges. The panel comprised distinguished people from the L'Oréal team. Roshini Wadhwa, Director, Human Resources, L'Oréal India; Snehhal Chitneni, Director, Communication, Sustainability, Public Affairs & Ethics, L'Oréal India; Aalok Oke, Director, Operations, L'Oréal India; Sai Prakash Mangipudi, Vice President, Supply Chain, L'Oréal India graced the grand finale with their presence.   

The curtains of the fully digital Grand Finale were raised with a brief introduction to the jury and a welcome address by Roshini Wadhwa. The grand finale, once declared open, was followed by a series of presentations by the 10 shortlisted teams. Team Trailblazers from IIM Ranchi, Team Sustainable Binod from NMIMS Bangalore, Team Neutron Stars from VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur, Team Rise from ISB, Team May-We-Win from IIM Kozhikode, Team L’ore Warriors from MDI Gurgaon, Team Java the Hutt from IIT Madras, Team Insight from IIM Kashipur, Team Ideators from SCMHRD Pune and Team GG Blizzard from FMS Delhi were the top 10 finalist teams that made it to the grand finale. 

The teams presented novel ideas that had the power to revolutionize the current system and turn it into a better, more sustainable structure. From the simplest of ideas emerged elaborate, intricate ideas that stood on the pillars of the 3Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle. But amidst these, only three teams gained recognition and lay hands on winning titles. 

After a brief deliberation of the jury post the presentations, results were announced. Team May-We-Win from IIM Kozhikode comprising Aakash Verma, Harshita Jain and Divij Wadhwa bagged the position of the Second Runner Up. The trophy for the First Runner Up was grabbed by Team Java the Hutt from IIT Madras, comprising Abhiram Tarimala, Sawni Gupta and B Bharatwaajan. The coveted position of the National Winners was bagged by Team Insight from IIM Kashipur, comprising Saransh Jain, Udit Arunav and Abhinav Yadav. 

The prizes, as previously declared by L'Oréal, included a pre-placement interview with L'Oréal India along with a gift hamper from L'Oréal for the National Winners and a gift hamper each to the First and Second Runners Up. The top 10 teams also received goodies from L'Oréal.  

Post the announcement of results, Snehhal Chitneni, Director, Communication, Sustainability, Public Affairs & Ethics, L'Oréal India and Aalok Oke, Director, Operations, L'Oréal India shared with the audience a message of what they were looking for in the participating teams. Along with the simplicity of the idea and its implementability, the jury also welcomed ideas that would persuade the consumers to bring about a change in their daily habits/ routine. 

With its one of a kind challenge, the world’s largest cosmetics company, L'Oréal, empowered the leaders of tomorrow and handed them the leash to bring about a revolutionary change. An energy-packed finale was a testament to the fact that our young leaders are thinking and acting in the right direction! 

Stay tuned to hear from the winners and the jury in an exclusive interview with the D2C Editorial Team.