How do you create attention around something that does not exist yet? When LKAB, SSAB and Vattenfall jointly developed the world's first fossil-free steel, the technology was still in pilot phase. Still, the vision needed to become both visible and emotionally relevant.
Our assignment was to create a story that carried more than just a technical breakthrough. We wanted to show what fossil-free steel can be – not only as a raw material, but as a symbol of innovation, design and optimism about the future.
We based the work on the creative process of designer Lena Berg’s, from sketch to finished candlestick in the world's first fossil-free steel. By following her process in real time with film, text and visual content, we made the innovation human and concrete.
The story was rolled out in several stages, from internal storytelling to PR and international exposure. The candlestick became a symbol of sustainable technology, Swedish design and visionary collaboration.
The candlestick in fossil-free steel took on a symbolic life far beyond industry. When Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson handed it to President Joe Biden at a summit at the White House, it became a physical representation of Sweden's role in the green industrial transition.
It was more than a gift; it was a story that landed. By presenting the technology in a human and visually appealing way, an invisible innovation became content that moved people, spread and created pride.
The story received wide media coverage and helped position Sweden, and HYBRIT, as an international role model for sustainable industry. Above all, it showed the power of combining technology, storytelling and design.
