The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a milestone in global cooperation for a sustainable future, with climate change being one of the most urgent and complex challenges. For successful implementation, SDGs largely depend on international cooperation and represent a call for collective action in an interconnected world, where global problems require global solutions.

In this context, higher education plays a crucial role in training future leaders capable of addressing SDG challenges, while internationalization and collaboration between universities are essential to improve student preparation and develop global competencies that assist them in dealing with these issues. Student mobility and collaboration with other countries in teaching and research are the highest priority internationalization activities, becoming an increasingly important hallmark for university institutions. Internationalization proposals in the university system are essential to improve the preparation of students and enhance national talent, strengthening their international profile and developing global knowledge that diversifies their skills and competencies for a fruitful professional development in the short, medium and long term.

In this paper, we present the findings of an international teaching innovation project in which 79 students from the University of Cantabria (Spain) and the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) participated on a practical, group, and collaborative virtual assignment developed in two courses within the field of economic and business sciences. The students, divided into international groups, investigated and evaluated how companies in their respective countries were implementing sustainable actions focused on SDG13 within their logistics and distribution channels. Additionally, they identified opportunities for improvement and developed concrete proposals to promote more sustainable and responsible business practices. The initiative is part of Tecnológico de Monterrey's Global Shared Learning Classroom (GSL) program, an international experience from the Vice-Rectory for International Affairs aimed at promoting international collaborative learning experiences through technological tools to connect students, foster collaboration and facilitate learning in intercultural environments.

The main goal of the paper is to present the results of the project in terms of several indicators that analyse the success of the project in terms of student:
(a) satisfaction,
(b) development of global competencies (i.e., teamwork, effective communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking),
(c) international focus (i.e., interest and perceived usefulness of working in diverse international teams),
(d) knowledge and awareness of the SDGs and
(e) engagement in sustainability (i.e., innovation and quality of the proposals to improve SDG13 in companies).

In general terms, the findings of the study suggest that this international collaborative learning experience was satisfactory for students, also improving their international focus, subjective knowledge of SDGs, objective knowledge of SDG13 and general awareness of the SDGs. On the contrary, significant differences were not observed in perceived usefulness, objective knowledge of SDGs or global competences when comparing student responses at the end of the international activity with those recorded prior to the start of the collaboration.

Keywords: Collaborative learning, international, SDGs, higher education.