Anniversary for a Swedish design icon: the SAS coffee jug turns 35 years old

This year marks 35 years since the first SAS jug, which over the years has achieved cult status for its smart functions and tasteful design, was put into use. Since 2010, the classic aeroplane 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 aeroplane canister had been developed by the industrial design company Ergonomidesign to facilitate the work of the cabin crew. The goal was to produce a lightweight and wear-resistant jug with good grip properties that could keep the temperature for a long time and, perhaps above all, be completely drip-free so as not to risk spilling drinks on the passengers. The result was successful, to say the least, and just over three decades later, over 500,000 copies of the jug have been produced and are 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 could therefore 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 who took over production of the SAS pitcher in 2010, and continues: “Since we took over, we have replaced parts of the jug, such as the nozzle that 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 used wine corks. Now we plan to take another step and make the entire product segment part of the Green Loop System.”

Will become part of the 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 part of the sustainability concept Green Loop System, which was recently launched for August Lundh’s commercial kitchen tableware. The Green Loop System means that companies rent their equipment, instead of buying it, and can replace worn-out products with new ones at regular intervals. The used products are returned to Mälarplast’s factory where the material is reused, which means that the lifetime of the plastic can be extended to at least 30 years and thereby leave a significantly smaller climate footprint.

“Right now we are in dialogue with SAS and have good 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 a part of changing. The Green Loop System not only contributes to reducing the climate footprint for our customers, but also means that they can always have crockery that appears to be freshly produced when they serve the passengers. We believe that it will become a very popular concept in this industry,” concludes Peter Wall.