The SUSTAIN-2: A Sustainability Model for Tourism (F&B) project has officially started under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme, bringing together partners from Greece, Moldova, Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Ukraine to support the transition of the tourism food and beverage sector towards more sustainable and resilient business models.

Launched on 15 December 2025 with a duration of 24 months, the project promotes cross-border cooperation to address common sustainability challenges in the tourism ecosystem. By encouraging the adoption of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, SUSTAIN-2 aims to strengthen the environmental, social and economic performance of food and beverage businesses across the Black Sea Basin.

Throughout the project, partners will work collaboratively to assess local needs, engage public institutions, business support organisations, educational institutions and local stakeholders, and develop practical solutions that foster sustainable production and consumption practices.

The project will introduce an innovative Simplified Sustainability Model (SSM) tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized food and beverage businesses. Capacity-building activities, mentoring programmes and pilot implementations will support participating enterprises in integrating sustainability into their daily operations. In addition, an AI-assisted assessment system (AIRES) will be developed to help businesses evaluate and improve their sustainability performance.

To ensure the long-term impact of the project, SUSTAIN-2 will also establish the EduConnect learning platform, providing open access to educational resources, training materials and practical tools for businesses, students and other stakeholders. Enterprises successfully completing the project's training and pilot activities will be recognised through a Sustainability Tourism Certificate.

Implemented by a consortium of partners from Greece, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine, SUSTAIN-2 demonstrates the value of cross-border cooperation in addressing shared regional challenges. By combining expertise, exchanging knowledge and developing transferable solutions, the project aims to create a common sustainability model that can be replicated across destinations throughout the Black Sea Basin.

Over the next 24 months, SUSTAIN-2 will deliver a wide range of research, stakeholder engagement activities, pilot actions and capacity-building initiatives, contributing to a more sustainable, innovative and competitive tourism ecosystem across the region.