learn with digistainability
Free micro-credentials in sustainable marketing for professionals
The DIGISTAINABILITY platform offers six micro-credential modules designed for marketing and communications professionals. Developed by a European university consortium, freely accessible, and recognised with a digital certificate.
What is the DIGISTAINABILITY Course?
The DIGISTAINABILITY online course is the result of two years of research and curriculum development by a consortium of six higher education institutions and professional training organisations from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Bulgaria, co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.
The course was built with and for marketing professionals. Before designing a single module, the consortium conducted a structured needs assessment with teachers, students and business stakeholders across five countries to identify the most relevant competency gaps at the intersection of digital marketing and sustainability.
The result is a practical, career-relevant curriculum that combines strategic frameworks, real-world case studies and self-assessment tools accessible entirely online, at no cost.
who is this course for?
This course is designed for professionals working in marketing, communications, brand management or related fields who want to build or strengthen their competencies in sustainable and responsible marketing.
You will benefit most from this course if you are:
- Marketing or Communications Manager
- Brand manager or product manager
- Digital marketer or social media manager
- Sales agents
- Business owner or entrepreneur
- Public sector communications officer
- Recent graduate
the six modules
Each module is an independent micro-credential unit. You can complete them in any order and at your own pace. The format is: Video, readings, some case studies, some exercises, quiz, assessment
What you will learn: how to assess and manage cybersecurity risks in organisational digital transformation, build a strategic digital protection plan with measurable KPIs, foster an internal cybersecurity culture, and apply copyright and intellectual property principles to ensure legally compliant use of images, texts, videos and music in digital marketing projects.
Key competency:
Operate responsibly in digital environments by applying cybersecurity principles, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance, and embedding ethical standards into digital marketing strategies.
What you will learn: how to identify and communicate the sustainable attributes of products and services ethically and credibly, apply frameworks such as GreenComp, Triple Bottom Line and LCA in marketing strategy, avoid greenwashing, and develop circular marketing plans that integrate
ESG metrics, SDGs and eco-conscious consumer engagement to maximise economic, environmental and relational value.
Key competency:
Develop and communicate sustainable marketing strategies that integrate
environmental and social impact assessment, responsible consumer insights, and credible
sustainability advocacy free from greenwashing..
What you will learn: how to design marketing campaigns integrating green materials, lifecycle thinking and behavioural nudges to promote responsible consumption, apply AI and
neuromarketing techniques ethically in sustainability advocacy, build ESG-informed digital advocacy strategies that drive individual and collective change, and develop stakeholder collaboration plans grounded in sustainable leadership and responsible decision-making frameworks aligned with GreenComp, the Circular Economy Action Plan and SDG 12.
Key competency:
Lead the design and implementation of responsible marketing strategies that integrate sustainability frameworks, behavioural insights, ethical decision-making and stakeholder
engagement across the full business and product lifecycle.
Data-Driven Decisions
Workload equivalent to 2 ECTS
What you will learn: how to apply systems thinking and circular economy frameworks to assess the sustainability impact of business and marketing decisions, integrate environmental certification schemes into ESG reporting and marketing strategy, develop multicultural and
international communication strategies grounded in audience analysis and crisis management, use critical market insight methodologies to extract strategic intelligence from sector and brand data,
and design marketing proposals that engage the critical and ethically aware consumer.
Key competency:
Design data-driven, internationally oriented marketing strategies that embed
circular economy thinking, ESG considerations and transparent sustainability communication to
drive responsible consumer engagement and organisational accountability..
Workload equivalent to 1,5 ECTS
What you will learn: how to apply GDPR principles and Privacy by Design in campaign planning to ensure transparent and data-espectful marketing, critically evaluate ethical dilemmas around
consumer personalisation and representation, integrate CSR, Triple Bottom Line and Stakeholder Theory into responsible marketing strategies, assess and communicate sustainability commitments using ESG reporting and GRI Standards, create educational narratives that counter environmental misinformation, and evaluate the ethical coherence and effectiveness of integrated communication strategies.
Key competency:
Design and evaluate ethically grounded, evidence-based communication strategies that integrate CSR and ESG principles, balance stakeholder interests, and build public trust through transparency and credible sustainability narratives..
Workload equivalent to 1 ECTS
What you will learn: how to identify and apply nudging techniques to promote sustainable consumer choices, design campaigns that connect local and global sustainability contexts, evaluate consumption patterns through a sustainability lens, communicate sustainability
messages with clarity and purpose, and integrate sustainability models, protocols and certification
frameworks into marketing and business management plans.
Key competency:
Apply sustainability frameworks, certification standards and behavioural
nudging techniques to design marketing and organisational strategies that promote responsible
consumption and communicate sustainability messages effectively and ethically.
what you get?
digital certificate
Upon passing each module assessment with a minimum score of 70%, you will receive a micro-credential digital certificate. These badges can be added to your LinkedIn profile and professional portfolio. Completing all six modules grants you the full DIGISTAINABILITY programme certificate.
european recognition
The course was developed under the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and draws on curriculum standards from five partner countries. The micro-credential framework aligns with the European Approach to Micro-credentials.
100% free
There are no fees at any stage registration, learning, assessment or certification. The course is co-funded by the EU.
flexible learning
No fixed timetable. No deadlines within the pilot period. Access all materials from any device. Complete modules in any order and return to content as many times as you need.
step by step
how to get started
register
Create your free account at [registration link]. No payment details required.
choose your first module
Browse all six modules and start with whichever is most relevant to your current role.
learn at your pace
Videos, readings and interactive exercises are all available offline-friendly.
complete the assessment
Each module ends with a short knowledge check (multiple choice + one short answer). Pass rate: 70%.
earn your certificate
Download and share your digital badge immediately after passing.
Pilot period:
July – September 2026. The platform closes to new enrolments on 30 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely. No registration fees, no subscription, no payment at any point. The course is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.
No. The course is designed for marketing professionals at all levels. Each module begins with the foundational concepts before moving to application.
Each module is designed to take 2–2.5 hours, for a total of approximately 12–15 hours for the full course. You can stop and resume at any point.
Yes. Each module is a standalone micro-credential. You receive a certificate for each module you complete. You do not need to complete all six to receive a certificate.
The pilot period runs from July to September 2026. You must complete your modules and assessments before 30 September 2026 to receive your certificate.
A digital certificate is a verifiable digital micro-credential that certifies a specific competency. It is aligned with the European Micro-credential Framework (EMF) (European Commission, A European approach to micro-credentials, 2021). DIGISTAINABILITY certificate include metadata that allows employers and professional networks to verify their authenticity.
The course was developed by a consortium of six organisations: HETEL (Spain), Nazaret (Spain), University of Urbino (Italy), Ilmiolavoro (Italy), Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (Portugal), ACEEU (Germany) and FBO (Bulgaria), coordinated under the Erasmus+ programme.
Yes. The course is open to any marketing professional, regardless of nationality or country of residence.
Contact you nearest project partner:
- IT Italy:
- ES Spain:
- PT Portugal:
- DE Germany:
- BG Bulgaria:
about the project
DIGISTAINABILITY (2023-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000157703) is an Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliance project co-funded by the European Union. It was designed to bridge the growing gap between the demand for sustainability competencies in marketing and the supply of accessible, practice-oriented professional training. The project ran from 2023 to 2026 and involved more than 200 stakeholders across five European countries in its design and piloting phases.