“Without the sea, Sleipner wouldn’t exist.” For Ole Kristian Olsen and the rest of the team in Fredrikstad, Norway, this isn’t just a catchy slogan for a website. It is the foundation of an ambitious sustainability journey, driven by facts, quality, and a relentless engineering mindset.
With more than 15 years of experience in R&D and technical documentation, Ole Kristian Olsen has taken the helm as Sustainability Lead at Sleipner. He brings a rare sense of realism to the role. While many talk about “green shifts” and grand visions, Ole Kristian talks about material optimization, product lifespan, and energy efficiency..
“For us, sustainability is actual engineering. It’s about smarter design, better material choices, and products that last. It is tempting for many to swap materials just to look ‘politically correct,’ but if the product’s lifespan decreases as a result, we’ve done the environment a disservice,” he explains.
Facts Over Feelings
Sleipner has chosen a strategy that can be summarized in three words: Hurry up slowly. They refuse to use sustainability as a PR tool until they have the data to prove they are actually making a difference.
“We are focused on making decisions based on facts, not emotions or guesswork. What cannot be measured cannot be improved. With high-quality data, we can drive ‘internal sales’ and convince the organization why we need to change a process. The numbers don’t lie,” says Ole Kristian.
“It Has to Make Financial Sense”
A core principle in Sleipner’s approach is that environmental initiatives must also be economically sustainable to survive over time. Ole Kristian is crystal clear: the best solutions are the ones that are a “bullseye” for both the environment and the bottom line.
A concrete example is their work on more compact and efficient products:
- Less Material: By delivering higher performance with less material usage, both raw material costs and emissions drop.
- Smarter Logistics: Smaller and lighter products mean smaller packaging, fewer pallets, and more efficient transport.
- Packaging Circularity: By reusing “paper padding” materials from incoming shipments instead of paying for recycling, they save both money and resources.
Respect for the Sea
Sleipner’s livelihood depends on people using the ocean. This creates a responsibility that extends from the employees’ daily work to the products that end up with the final user.
“If the sea becomes an unattractive environment with poor water quality and waste, the appeal of boating disappears. We have a duty to raise awareness, whether through annual beach cleaning days or by sponsoring the Ocean Cleanup and the Search and Rescue (Redningsselskapet). But most importantly: respect for the sea must be built into every single component we ship out of our factory,” says Ole Kristian.
Close Collaboration for Tailored Insight
When Sleipner was ready to take the next step on their sustainability journey, it wasn’t just about finding any digital tool, it was about finding the right partner. For a company heavily focused on the future, technological understanding, accounting expertise, and the ability to co-develop solutions were decisive factors. The choice fell on Energi.AI.
“We didn’t just need a reporting tool; we needed a partner we could work closely with, where we could influence the system development and get a platform tailored to the exact way we want to work. Energi.AI understands both technology and accounting and has helped us gain solid control over Scope 1, 2, and 3,” Ole Kristian explains.
Through this close collaboration and expert sparring, Sleipner has structured its sustainability efforts into a system that provides actual, actionable insight, one that can scale alongside the company’s ambitions.
For Ole Kristian, this is only the beginning. The ultimate goal is to integrate sustainability data so deeply that it becomes a natural part of every single innovation project within the R&D department.
“We aren’t at the finish line yet, but we have started. With the right data on the table, we can guide our customers and make decisions that ensure Sleipner is rigged for the future, both economically and environmentally.”
3 Tips from Sleipner for a More Sustainable Business:
- Prioritize Quality: A product with a long lifespan and designed for service and maintenance is inherently one of the best environmental initiatives you can take.
- Look for “Win-Wins”: Seek out areas where material cuts or energy efficiency reduce both costs and emissions.
- Use Data as a Compass: Don’t throw resources at projects that “feel” right before you know if they actually move the needle.
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