Meet Johan Mårtensson, Duni Group’s Business Development & Innovation Manager

Today we pay attention to World Creativity and Innovation Day, WCID. This is UN’s day to empower people to use new ideas, make new decisions, and make the world a better place.

Meet Johan Mårtensson, Duni Group’s Business Development & Innovation Manager.

What does innovation mean to you and how can it be translated into a sustainable business? ­­­

Innovation for me is to question our business model and offer, and continuously iterate our offer, to secure relevance today and in the future. We need to identify value destruction points in our value chain and turn does into opportunities. Our product portfolio must be adapted to the current structure for waste management and recycling in each market. At the same time, we as a producer and supplier, have a responsibility to help our customers gain the knowledge required to become more circular depending on their needs and geographic location.

The past year has required all of us to be more creative than usual. How has the pandemic affected your work with innovation?

I see no difference in the level of creativity, however, we act much faster during the pandemic because we have to, which suits me very well. The basis for innovation is “fail fast and adapt”. It’s important to have an organization that dares to try new ideas – over and over again. The pandemic has led many of our customers to look at digital services to simplify their everyday life, which has opened up new opportunities for us.

Can you give some examples of that?

We created a campaign in which we offered to print QR codes on napkins or placemats. When guests come to the restaurant, all they have to do is scan the QR code with their smartphone. They don't touch anything, which reduces the risk of contagion. The QR code links directly to the digital menu, but it can also help the restaurant with seating reservations or guest registration.

Another good example is the Duni Visualizer Augmented Reality app, our table setting app for professionals. We cannot visit our guests as we usually do, so the app has become a helpful tool.