NEW IDEAS FOR SUSTAINABILITY TAKE US INTO THE FUTURE

In June 2015 The Absolut Company opened the Creative Space in Gröndal, south of Stockholm. Here, containers that had previously been used to transport Absolut Vodka were given a new life. They were converted into workspaces for, among other things, a hackathon focused on sustainable solutions. Many ideas for how The Absolut Company can reduce its environmental impact and improve its work with sustainability were born at the Creative Space. Now, The Absolut Company is taking the next step by working together with its partners to develop the packaging of tomorrow.

The Absolut Company invited its current and future partners to a full-day workshop on January 26 at the Absolut brand home, Absolute Atelier, in Stockholm. The aim was to examine if and how the winning idea from the Creative Space Hackathon can be realised, as well as to explore new sustainable packaging together.

”The Creative Space Hackathon gave us valuable ideas and now we want to see if we can implement them together with our suppliers. Increased sustainability has been a guiding principle in our work since the early 1990s. We want to share new ideas and challenges with the companies and partners that contribute to our success. Innovation has always been and remains a success factor for us. This feels like a natural step in our on-going efforts to solve the sustainability challenges we are faced with,” says Anna Schreil, Director of Product Development at Absolut Vodka.

“Together, we will look at new packaging solutions and packaging materials that can help reduce our environmental impact. We want to share, inspire and be inspired together with our partners,” says Elin Wibell, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Absolut Company.

Maria Strømme, well renowned professor of nanotechnology from Uppsala University, participated in the workshop. Here, Maria talked about how we stand at the starting line of a new technological revolution, about nanotechnology and its potential usage in relation to sustainability and how technology and innovation can help change society. Pia Wågberg and Marco Lucisano from the research institute Innventia were also present and shared their knowledge about the potential of forest raw materials.

For further information, please contact:

Elin Wibell, Senior Manager Corporate Communication, The Absolut Company,

+46-70 190 10 41 elin.wibell@pernod-ricard.com

During the Creative Space Hackathon in June 2015, 16 people – from product designers and engineers to environmentalists – competed to find innovative solutions to The Absolut Company’s environmental challenges. For three days, the participants turned over ideas about the manufacturing process, material use, distribution and recycling. The winner of the hackathon was a refill bottle solution in eco-design that would help to optimize transport and have a major impact on sustainability.