Title	FORTUM CIRCO® HANDLE
Brand	FORTUM
Product/Service	FORTUM CIRCO® RECYCLED PLASTIC
Category	F02. Environmental / Social Impact
Entrant	TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
Idea Creation	TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND
PR	TBWA\HELSINKI, FINLAND

Name	Company	Position
Jussi Mälkiä	Fortum	Brand Manager
Aki Koskinen	Fortum	Vice President, Brand
Jyrki Poutanen	TBWA\Helsinki	Chief Creative Officer
Anna Masalin	TBWA\Helsinki	Executive Account Director
Ville Ohtonen	TBWA\Helsinki	Creative Director
Satu Heikkonen	TBWA\Helsinki	Account Manager
Juhana Hokkanen	TBWA\Helsinki	Innovation Director
Umberto Onza	TBWA\Helsinki	Lead Innovation Designer
Teemu Lappalainen	TBWA\Helsinki	Art Director
Melissa Kuitunen	TBWA\Helsinki	Content Producer
Saana Sundberg	TBWA\Helsinki	Junior Communication Specialist
Lara Ala-Olla	TBWA\Helsinki	Designer
Fanny Haga	TBWA\Helsinki	Photographer
Eemeli Tani	TBWA\Helsinki	Manager, Performance & Analytics
Ellen Lindbom	TBWA\Helsinki	Data & Insight Trainee
Tuukka Tikkanen	TBWA\Helsinki	Film Producer
Mikko Kuoppasalmi	TBWA\Helsinki	Editor
Mikko Pietilä	TBWA\Helsinki	Executive Creative Director
Erno Reinikainen	TBWA\Helsinki	Creative Director
Mikko Kaivo-oja	TBWA\Helsinki	Associate Creative Director

Background

Clean-energy company Fortum is also the leading producer of recycled plastic in the Nordics. They collect waste plastic from both consumer packaging waste and industrial waste, grind it and manufacture Fortum Circo® plastic pellets, a versatile recycled raw material for nearly any plastic products. In its home market Finland, Fortum is only known as an energy company. The brief was to raise awareness about Fortum Circo® plastics and to enforce the perception of Fortum as a circular economy company. Originally, the brief was met with two ideas which both involved a presence in large global events in 2020. As Covid-19 hit the world in spring 2020, it was soon evident that the whole campaign had to be rethought in the radically new circumstances. The original campaign ideas involving entertainment felt not only impossible to execute, but also too light in approach.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Fortum quickly realized one issue it could help Finnish people with: hand hygiene on surfaces in public places. Especially door and cabinet handles in stores get touched by thousands of clients every day, making them hotspots for infections. That’s why Fortum designed and produced the Fortum Circo® Handle: a simple add-on suiting all types of existing door handles, allowing people to open doors with their arm, minimizing touching the handles with their palms and fingers. It not only prevents infections, but also helps disabled, who have trouble grabbing handles or lack finger strength, open doors more easily. The Handle is manufactured from Fortum’s 100% recycled Circo® plastic, using no virgin materials. Fortum Circo® Handle was targeted at two groups: helping consumers avoid infections and learn about Fortum’s sustainability; and proving to plastic product manufacturers that Fortum Circo® is a versatile, affordable and reliable raw material.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Because of the medical urgency of the pandemia, Fortum Circo® Handle prototypes were ideated, designed, 3D printed and installed in first stores in only 21 days. The first very rough prototypes were designed during the first week and 3D printed, so that they could be tested in-store (for usability, durability and attaching to different kinds of levers and handles). Finland's biggest retail chain S-Group became interested, and two weeks later, the piloting started in S-Group’s Alepas (grocery stores) in the Helsinki area. During the piloting the use of Fortum Circo® Handles in the stores was constantly monitored and recorded. In addition, the product designers interviewed both clients and the Alepa staff to learn more about the usability of the prototypes.

List the results (20% of vote)

In a matter of days, news of the Fortum Circo® Handle reached the media globally. Over 170 news media in 93 countries wrote about it, including the likes of Fox News and New York Post, the reach being 327 997 597 and earned media value 3 029 715 €. In a few weeks, over 120 retail and manufacturing companies from around the world contacted Fortum about ordering Fortum Circo® Handles or about collaborating in mass producing them from Fortum Circo®. And after only 1,5 months of the launch, the Finnish design icon Fiskars Group agreed to start mass manufacturing and selling the Handles globally. The deal with Fiskars not only makes infection preventing handles available at scale everywhere, but it also acts as a powerful reference for Fortum Circo®: if an appreciated design company approved Circo® as their raw material, it encourages future clients to give Circo® a chance, too.