The chemical industry is influenced by the need to produce energy and materials with minimal environmental, economic, and social impact, while continuing to contribute to economic growth and social responsibility. In this context, Chemical Engineering is instrumental in driving progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting more sustainable, inclusive, equitable, and resilient practices across the industry.

In the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Vitoria-Gasteiz (University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU), students gain the necessary knowledge and skills needed to design, operate and optimize industrial processes involving physical, chemical and biochemical transformations. However, it has been noted that, despite the relevance of sustainability and the SDGs in their future professional practice, these topics are not sufficiently addressed in the Degree.

Two subjects from the third course of the Industrial Chemical Engineering Degree have been selected to integrate the SDGs and to evaluate their connection to the training provided by the program. Several joint activities (both individual and collaborative) developed in these courses have enabled students to reflect on the relationship between Chemical Engineering and the SDGs, as well as to delve into the multiple dimensions involved.

To advance in the acquisition of sustainability skills, a chemical engineering process was presented to the students and, in groups of 4, they were tasked with evaluating its relevance to each of the SDGs. The students' attention was focused on the environmental dimension, ignoring key aspects such as equity, labor justice, access to resources, inclusive growth, and financial viability. However, following a collective reflection and the presentation of case studies featuring chemical sector that incorporate the SDGs into their daily activities, students were able to internalize these concepts and translate their understanding into an infographic, which was then presented to their peers. Likewise, to promote the efficient use of resources, students were encouraged to propose actions aimed at minimizing waste generation during laboratory practices conducted in one of the selected subjects. Among the suggested measures were sharing of solutions between groups and the use of lower concentrations of reagents.

The competency acquisition was monitored using a questionnaire administered at both the beginning and the end of the academic year to measure changes over time. The activities implemented had a positive impact on the students, as evidenced by a 2.3-fold increase in the percentage of correct responses to the SDG-related questionnaire from the beginning to the conclusion of the academic year. This improvement was also reflected in a series of statements that students were asked to relate to the SDGs using a Likert scale (1-5), in which the average score increased by 18 % between the beginning and the end of the course. With the view toward the next academic year, several activities are proposed to further enrich the learning process, for example, a guest lecture by an expert from a chemical industry company that integrates sustainability principles into its operations.

Keywords: Chemical engineering, sustainable development goals (SDG), sustainability.