Jubilee for a swedish design icon- the SAS-pot is turning 35 years!

This year marks 35 years since the first SAS jug, which over the years has reached cult status for its smart features and tasteful design, was put into use. Since 2010, the classic aircraft jug has been manufactured by the Eskilstuna-based plastic producer August Lundh, who now plans to make it part of his unique sustainability concept Green Loop System.

35 years ago, in 1988, the SAS jug filled the first cups during its maiden voyage. The aircraft jug had been developed by industrial design company Ergonomidesign to facilitate the work of cabin crew. The goal was to develop a lightweight and durable jug with good grip properties that could maintain the temperature for a long time and, perhaps above all, be completely drip-free so as not to risk spilling drinks on the passages. The result was successful, to say the least, and just over three decades later, the jug has been manufactured in over 500,000 units used by around 50 airlines worldwide.
"This is a cool product with a timeless design and a feather in the cap for Swedish innovation. The SAS jug was the first of its kind to be made of plastic and thus could be made very easily, which is a big reason why it has become so popular with the aircraft crew," says Peter Wall, CEO of August Lundh and Mälarplast, which took over production of the SAS jug in 2010, and continues:
"Since we took over, we have replaced parts of the jug, such as the nozzle, which was previously made of steel, with plastic parts to make it easier to reuse the material. And the handle is now made of plastic based on worn-out wine corks. Now we plan to take another step and make the entire product segment part of the Green Loop System.


Going to be a part of Green Loop System
Today, the SAS jug is manufactured as part of the Travel Catering by August Lundh brand at Mälarplast's factory in Eskilstuna. The ambition is for the segment to be included in the sustainability concept Green Loop System, which was recently launched for August Lundh's catering tableware. The Green Loop System means that companies rent their equipment, instead of buying it, and can replace worn products with new ones at regular intervals. The used products return to Mälarplast's factory where the material is reused, which means that the plastic's lifespan can be extended to at least 30 years and thus leave a significantly smaller climate footprint.
"Right now, we are in dialogue with SAS and have high hopes of being able to sign an agreement in the relatively near future. Today, airlines use a lot of disposable products and it is a culture that we want to be part of changing. Green Loop System not only helps to lower the climate footprint for our customers, but also means that they can always have tableware that appears to be newly produced when serving passengers. We believe that it will be a very popular concept in this industry, concludes Peter Wall.


Read more about Green Loop System on August Lundh website..