IM SWEDISH | THE HUMANIUM METAL INITIATIVE | 2017
Turning metal made for killing into metal made for living / IM SWEDISH "THE HUMANIUM METAL INITIATIVE"
Melt down guns, turn them into metal. That simple idea won the Grand Prix in the Innovation category at Cannes Lions in 2017. The metal, made from seized illegal firearms, is called Humanium Metal.
The problem
There are 500 million illegal firearms in the world, and one person is killed by a gun every minute. Until now, seized guns were either sold off cheaply or simply dumped into the sea. The Swedish NGO IM Swedish Development Partner set out to change that reality.
The insight
Give meaning to scrap metal that had nowhere to go but the trash. The answer from the two agencies ÅkestamHolst and Great Works was simple: something built to destroy becomes material to build with. The idea is that this very gap in purpose is what creates the value.
The idea
In 2016, one ton of firearms seized by the government of El Salvador was melted down to produce the first batch of Humanium Metal. This metal, 95% iron, was sent to Sweden and turned into powder so it could be used in products. It has since taken new forms, from TRIWA watches to tops, buttons, and bracelets. The key wasn't designing a particular product from the guns, but building the whole system for getting the metal flowing in the first place.
What happened
After three years, they reached commercial-scale production, with sales topping 5 million dollars. Of that, more than 1.2 million dollars has gone back into social programs, and the effort has won support from figures including the Dalai Lama and a former Director General of the IAEA.
Afterthought
Metal made for killing becomes metal made for living. This isn't really advertising anymore—it's a story about rebuilding a piece of how the world works. It makes me want to go build something myself.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2017
