CIRCULAR CARD HOLDERS

Client: Novo Nordisk
Collaboration Launched: Winter 2024 
Focus: Medical Waste Upcycling | Custom Product Design | Circular Production

Our latest collaboration with Novo Nordisk demonstrates how industry-specific waste can be reintroduced to everyday life as meaningful, circular products.

THE CHALLENGE

Novo Nordisk, a world-leading pharmaceutical company, generates large quantities of used insulin pens — single-use items typically destined for disposal. While critical to diabetes care, these pens contain valuable plastic materials with untapped potential for reuse.

We asked a straightforward question: What if this material could stay in use longer? What if it could come back into the system in a new form—one that supports everyday operations, instead of adding to environmental pressure?

THE SOLUTION

Together with Novo Nordisk, we developed a fully circular ID card holder made entirely from recycled insulin pens. Every step of the process — from collecting and sorting the plastic to production — is carried out locally in Denmark, in collaboration with our trusted network of suppliers.

THE OUTCOME

The result is a practical, high-quality product that not only supports employee identification but also tells a story of reinvention and responsibility.

Launched in December 2024, the ID card holders are now in use across Novo Nordisk offices — proof that even the most overlooked waste streams can be transformed into objects of meaning and function.

This collaboration underscores what we believe deeply at SMALLrevolution: circular design is not a distant vision — it’s a necessary shift already happening today. With the right partners and a clear mission, waste can become a resource, and systems can be redesigned for good.