Ragn-Sells
From traditional waste management to high-tech circularity.
ragnsells.com
Ragn-Sells Group presentation
Ragn-Sells is a privately held corporate group, operating companies in four countries. Since 1966, we've been involved in waste management, environmental services and recycling. We collect, treat and recycle waste and residual products from businesses, organisations and households.
–"We want to be living proof that caring for the earth and business go hand in hand".
That is our sustainability story in one sentence, as well as our company vision.
We are a family owned third generation company, originating from 1881. Every generation since has kept a vision of a sustainable society at the heart of developing the company. And as cornerstones, all actions should be based on Simplicity, Drive, Accountability and a Holistic view.
Group facts 2025
Sales: 9,120 MSEK
Employees: 2,709
Markets: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Germany
Sites: 115
Material treated: 5.38 million tonnes
Ragn-Sells' three business areas, Recycling, Treatment and Detox, and New Value Chains, are all based on a circular economy rational.
Local markets
We work close to our customers to understand the local market needs. Within the Ragn-Sells group we also bring added value that in every country, we benefit from the knowledge and development efforts of the entire group. This enables us to both grow our global knowledge base and provide the best possible local service for customers.
Industry
- Environmental services
- Recycling
- Circular Economy
In-house work / What I did
The Circular Transformation
How do you turn a traditional waste management company into a high-tech pioneer of the circular economy? You align the visual identity with a new reality: the shift from waste to valuable resources.
Ragn-Sells is Sweden's leading environmental enterprise. As they placed themselves at the heart of the green shift, my mission was to design this evolution. By stripping away their heavy legacy, we created a bright, modern, positive, and tech-forward brand identity built to drive the circular vision forward.
10+
Over a decade of in-house transformation. I helped hire our first project manager, and as the department grew into a fully operational agency, my main responsibility was setting the overarching creative standard.
360°
A complete 360-degree brand guardianship. I managed the visual identity across digital, motion, and print. Acting as the lead creative partner translating strategy into campaigns and daily production.
3X
A period of exceptional growth. During my time there, the company tripled its revenue. While this was a massive team effort, I am proud to have supported the journey by building a strong and unified brand.
A Sustainable Brand Evolution
How do you modernize a 140-year-old heritage brand without triggering a multi-million-euro rollout? You evolve instead of revolutionize. I led the strategic refresh of Ragn-Sells' visual identity, bringing a heavy, 90s-era profile into the digital age. By carefully refining the logo and brightening the color palette, we created a modern, agile brand that could seamlessly coexist with legacy assets. A resource-efficient, economically viable rebrand, perfectly mirroring the company's own circular mission.
Perception Beyond the Fence
Clean design changes behavior. By creating premium entrances with a refined, industrial aesthetic for Ragn-Sells' closed recycling facilities, we transformed skeptical neighbors' perceptions. A pristine exterior signals a highly controlled operation, subconsciously encouraging visitors to maintain order and respect.
Capturing the circular shift
I don’t just write the photo guidelines, I execute them behind the lens. The challenge with photographing industrial waste is making it look clean, valuable, and unmistakably Ragn-Sells. Every shot is composed around the brand colors, always leaving clear, open surfaces designed perfectly for campaign copy.
The What a Waste! Campaign
Ragn-Sells needed a group-wide platform to showcase their circular initiatives. However, in a landscape highly sensitive to greenwashing, claiming true circularity is risky. Closing the loop entirely depends on complex factors like legislation, producers, and technology. To position Ragn-Sells as a credible thought leader without making hollow promises, I developed an umbrella concept anchored by a strategic payoff: Think circular.
Acting as the lead creative and strategic partner, I developed the campaign name, the core concept, and the structural strategy for a central landing page to house all their initiatives. I also produced and edited the campaign film.
Based on my conceptual brief, copywriter Daniela von Polgar delivered a brilliant script and voiceover. Together, we turned the heavy reality of global resource depletion into an inspiring and actionable narrative.
Watch the film below
The Unsung Heroes
Employer branding is a cornerstone of any strong identity, because a powerful external brand is always built from the inside out. When internal surveys revealed that Ragn-Sells' frontline workers felt invisible, I developed the campaign Christmas Heroes (2018 & 2019). Stepping out of the studio and into the gritty reality of night shifts and underground culverts, I produced a film series and an extensive photo library celebrating the people who do the dirty jobs to keep society running.
Whether through a targeted campaign or capturing everyday operational photography, my goal is always the same: to document the authentic reality of the workplace and make the people behind the machinery feel genuinely valued.
End-to-End Execution
A prime example of my general approach to production. Whether it’s a specific social media campaign like this one, or broader brand assets, I typically handle everything from location scouting and photography to the final animation – ensuring total creative control and maximum efficiency.
The Bigger Picture
What you see here is merely a curated glimpse of a decade-long output, averaging over 300 productions a year. As Lead Creative, I drove the strategic visual direction, yet I always stayed close to the craft. Every touchpoint shown here, from illustrations and drone footage to design and animation, was executed by me. Ultimately, the true brand transformation was the result of a dedicated in-house collaboration with the team at Ragn-Sells.