In the heart of Stockholm, where innovation and sustainability naturally coexist, Alice Hertz Dahl is quietly reshaping the world’s perspective on one of its most overlooked environmental issues. As the inventor and founder-owner of Nordik Retail Ltd and its groundbreaking solution, Nanobin, she has transformed a simple real-life observation into an internationally recognized environmental innovation. Founded in 2019, Nanobin is more than a product; it is a movement rooted in responsibility, behavioural change, and practical sustainability.
From being a farmer’s daughter to becoming an award-winning entrepreneur and inventor, Alice’s journey reflects resilience, creativity, and a relentless determination to build solutions that genuinely improve everyday life.
A Childhood That Shaped a Sustainability Mindset
For Alice, sustainability did not begin in a boardroom discussion or a market trend forecast. It began in childhood.
Alice’s personal and professional background has been shaped by a combination of design, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and real-world observation. Growing up as a farmer’s daughter taught her responsibility, discipline, hard work, and respect for nature from an early age. For her, sustainability was not a theory or business trend—it was simply part of everyday life.
Those experiences later became deeply embedded in her work and entrepreneurial philosophy.
Her early career in textile education laid an important foundation. Teaching design and construction was not only about aesthetics; it required precision, structural understanding, and functionality. That experience trained Alice to think in systems—how materials behave, how form meets function, and how small design decisions influence usability. That mindset continues to shape her innovation work today, where solutions are built around how people actually interact with products in everyday situations.
That approach continues to define her innovation philosophy today. Every solution she develops is grounded in usability, human behaviour, and practical impact.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit That Started Early
Entrepreneurship was never a sudden career choice for Alice. It was part of who she was from a very young age.
Even as a child, she was sewing for clients and finding independent ways to earn money. Those early experiences taught her confidence, customer understanding, responsibility, and the importance of building trust with people.
“I have always wanted to run my own business,” she reflects.
That ambition became one of the main reasons she chose to study economics. She already knew she wanted to become an entrepreneur, and she understood that creativity alone would not be enough.
While Alice possessed strong creative instincts, she also understood that innovation alone is not enough to create lasting change. Determined to build businesses rather than simply ideas, she chose to study economics to strengthen her understanding of finance, marketing, scalability, and business growth. Equally important was the practical experience she gained through working directly with customers and later buying and selling products in competitive markets.
Over time, she discovered something even more valuable—an instinctive ability to identify emerging trends and understand what consumers truly needed, often before the market itself fully recognised it.
The International Experience That Expanded Her Vision
A major turning point in Alice’s life occurred during the 1990s, when she received an EU grant that enabled her family to relocate to the UK. The experience proved transformative.
Living and working internationally exposed her to new cultures, markets, infrastructures, and ways of thinking. It broadened her understanding of how human behaviour, systems, and societies are deeply interconnected.
More importantly, it strengthened her adaptability and resilience—qualities that would later become essential in her entrepreneurial journey.
The move also reinforced her belief that global challenges require practical, human-centred solutions rather than theoretical discussions.
Discovering a Natural Talent for Consumer Insight
In her early businesses, Alice mainly focused on selling products created by others. Yet through those experiences, she realised she had a natural ability to understand consumer behaviour and identify unmet market needs.
She consistently recognised trends before they became mainstream and developed a strong instinct for understanding what was “on the way in.”
The real breakthrough came when she entered the world of direct sales and product development.
That was the moment she realised her true strengths were not only in selling products but in creating innovative products with real commercial and social value.
It became clear that innovation, entrepreneurship, and consumer insight were the areas where she could create the greatest impact.
That realisation ultimately paved the way for what would become her most influential venture: Nanobin.
The Night That Sparked a Global Environmental Innovation — Nanobin
Some of the world’s best ideas begin with noticing what others ignore. While many innovations emerge from laboratories, Nanobin emerged from a bus stop.
One evening, while standing surrounded by cigarette litter, Alice observed something most people had learned to ignore. Cigarette butts covered the ground, dominating the public space. The issue was everywhere, yet practical solutions remained absent.
Instead of blaming behaviour alone, she looked deeper.
“Professionally, I am inspired less by theory and more by observation and unmet needs in everyday life. The idea for Nanobin came directly from seeing cigarette litter in public spaces and speaking with smokers themselves. Their responses made it clear that the issue was not simply behavior, but the lack of a convenient and hygienic disposal solution,” shares Alice.
“Overall, my journey has led me to focus on practical innovation, sustainability, and problem-solving—creating products that make responsible choices easier while delivering measurable environmental and social impact,” she adds.
That insight became the beginning of Nanobin.
Her vision was simple yet powerful: if cigarette disposal could be made as easy as smoking itself, behaviour could change naturally.
Today, cigarette butts remain the most littered item on Earth, with an estimated 540 million discarded globally every hour, releasing toxic chemicals and microplastics into ecosystems. Existing alternatives—public bins, reusable ashtrays, and fines—often failed because they were inconvenient or unhygienic.
Nanobin was designed to solve that gap.
Building “A Nano Solution to a Gigantic Problem”
The concept behind Nanobin came from a real-life observation. Cigarette butts are the most littered item on Earth—small, ubiquitous, and environmentally harmful. Every hour, an estimated 540 million cigarette butts are discarded globally, leaching toxic chemicals and microplastics into ecosystems. Existing solutions, such as public bins, reusable ashtrays, and fines, were often inconvenient, unhygienic, or ineffective.
“The spark for Nanobin came one night while I was standing at a bus stop surrounded by litter. Cigarette butts dominated the ground, and it was clear that a practical, portable solution was missing. The insight was simple but powerful: if disposal could be made as easy as smoking itself, behavior could change,” she shares.
From that observation, Nanobin was born as a “nano solution to a gigantic problem.”
“I led every stage of development—from designing a fire-safe, leak-proof pocket ashtray made from recycled paper to testing usability through multiple prototypes, running consumer trials with 5,000 smokers across Europe, and scaling production with environmentally responsible manufacturers,” she says.
Nanobin directly addresses a major unmet need among smokers: convenient and hygienic disposal. Research shows that 74% of smokers want an easy-to-use pocket ashtray, highlighting strong demand.
“Our founding mission was to make responsible cigarette disposal simple, hygienic, and convenient for smokers while reducing environmental impact. Over time, this mission has evolved to encompass global sustainability, behavioral change, and practical solutions that align with everyday human behavior. Today, Nanobin is more than a product—it is a tool for cleaner public spaces, measurable environmental impact, and a shift toward responsible, sustainable consumption,” says Alice.
Its message became both direct and memorable:
“No need to flick anything, anywhere, anymore.”
The slogan perfectly captures the simplicity and importance of changing small everyday habits for the benefit of the environment.
Building Nanobin Against the Odds
Turning that vision into reality was far from easy.
One of the biggest obstacles in the early stages was believing in herself, even when others did not immediately understand the idea. Innovation often requires stepping into unknown territory, and Alice quickly learned that persistence would become one of her most important strengths.
Finding the right engineering expertise within the paper and packaging industry became another major challenge.
It took more than 200 phone calls before she finally found an engineer in northern Sweden who understood her vision. After hearing her concept, his response was immediate:
“I’m flying to Stockholm Arlanda Airport in two days—can you meet me there?”
That meeting became a defining turning point in Nanobin’s development journey.
At the same time, Alice built a consumer testing panel consisting of 10 women and 10 men. Over four weeks, the group tested prototypes, discussed usability, and evaluated how the product functioned in everyday situations.
Their feedback proved invaluable.
Alice continuously refined the design based on real consumer insights, improving functionality, practicality, and user experience step by step.
“Another important step was finding the right name for the product. At first, it was simply described as a ‘pocket ashtray,’ but I wanted a name that reflected both the small size and the large environmental impact the product could have. After many discussions and suggestions, the name Nanobin emerged—and it proved to be the perfect fit: a nano solution to a gigantic global litter problem,” she shares.
“The next challenge was finding production facilities in Europe capable of manufacturing the product to the standards we required. Today, Nanobin has production capabilities on multiple continents. As an environmentally focused product, I strongly believe it should be produced as close as possible to where it is consumed in order to reduce transport impact and support sustainable production,” she adds.
“Being an entrepreneur and inventor often feels like cycling against the wind. Every day brings new challenges and unexpected problems. But you wake up, face a new day, and continue moving forward. Entrepreneurship requires optimism, resilience, and a strong problem-solving mindset. You must believe the glass is always half full and stay focused on solutions rather than obstacles,” she believes.
Reinventing the Pocket Ashtray for Modern Sustainability
Today, Nanobin stands as an innovative disposable pocket ashtray designed for modern, on-the-go use and created to address one of the world’s biggest litter problems: cigarette butts. Nanobin is the first and only pocket ashtray made from fireproof recycled paper that can safely be disposed of in a regular litter bin once full, eliminating the need for cleaning or reuse.
The product is made from 97% recycled, fireproof paper and includes an integrated “oxygen eater” that safely extinguishes cigarette embers. Its airtight construction keeps odours contained, making it smell-free, hygienic, and practical for everyday use. Each Nanobin holds approximately 15–20 cigarette butts while remaining lightweight and compact enough to fit easily into a pocket or bag.
Nanobin meets growing industry and consumer demands for practical sustainability solutions by combining convenience, safety, environmental responsibility, and user-friendly design. The product has already gained international recognition through major sustainability awards and growing retail success across Europe.
Looking ahead, the company is expanding partnerships with retailers, distributors, municipalities, and tobacco-sector stakeholders internationally as demand grows for scalable ESG and litter-reduction solutions.
Awards That Reinforced a Global Mission
Since its launch, Nanobin by Nordik Retail Ltd. has received several prestigious international recognitions for its innovative approach to environmental sustainability:
- Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge – celebrating groundbreaking green solutions.
- The Global Awards 2022 – awarded to Nanobin for excellence in design and environmental impact in both the UK and the US.
- International Green Apple Environment Award 2025 – recognising outstanding environmental initiatives.
- Green World Award – awarded for the project “No need to flick anything anywhere anymore” in the Europe sector under the Innovation category.
- International CSR Excellence Award 2026 – recognising Nanobin’s contribution to corporate social responsibility and sustainable practices.
These awards highlight Nanobin’s effectiveness in combining practical design with meaningful environmental impact, reinforcing its role as a leading solution for cleaner streets and responsible cigarette disposal.
Yet for Alice, the success of Nanobin extends beyond awards.
Its true value lies in proving that practical innovation can genuinely influence human behaviour and contribute to meaningful environmental change.
Determination, Happiness, and the Power of Purpose
“The word that best describes me is determined. Building Nanobin required persistence, resilience, and the ability to continue moving forward despite challenges, setbacks, and skepticism. I have always believed in finding solutions, staying focused on the goal, and turning obstacles into opportunities,” says Alice.
“At the same time, I would also describe myself as happy. I genuinely enjoy creating, solving problems, and building something that can make a positive difference for both people and the environment. For me, innovation is not only about business—it is about purpose, curiosity, and contributing to a better future,” she adds.
This balance between determination and optimism has become one of the defining characteristics of her leadership style.
The Personal Strength Behind the Professional Journey
Behind Alice’s entrepreneurial success stands a strong foundation of personal support.
Her children, their families, and her closest friends have remained an essential source of motivation and strength throughout her journey. Their encouragement has helped her continue pushing forward through both the challenges and triumphs of building a purpose-driven business.
That support, combined with her unwavering belief in practical sustainability, continues to fuel her vision for the future.
Leadership Rooted in Purpose and Responsibility
As a female entrepreneur and innovator, Alice sees leadership as far more than managing a business.
Her responsibilities extend across innovation, branding, partnerships, sustainability, strategic growth, and social impact. She strongly believes in creating products that solve real-world problems for consumers and society. Her understanding of market trends and consumer needs has helped her develop innovative and commercially viable solutions.
“As the founder of Nanobin, I am responsible for product development, strategic growth, partnerships, branding, and business development. At the same time, I work to ensure that the company stays aligned with its environmental mission and continues creating a positive impact through sustainability and litter reduction,” assures Alice.
She believes leadership is demonstrated through action, resilience, creativity, and consistency.
“As a female entrepreneur, I feel a responsibility to encourage other women to believe in their abilities, take risks, and pursue their own ideas and ambitions,” she asserts.
Another central part of her role involves building strong relationships with partners, retailers, organisations, municipalities, and communities. For Alice, collaboration is essential to creating meaningful and lasting change.
“Finally, I see continuous learning and personal growth as part of my responsibility as a leader. Entrepreneurship constantly challenges you to adapt, innovate, and think ahead. Through my journey, I have become even more aware of my own capacity, knowledge, and ability to create change on both a business and social level,” she shares.
The Importance of Balance and Creative Thinking
Despite the demands of entrepreneurship, Alice strongly believes in protecting both physical and mental well-being.
“Maintaining work-life balance in a demanding role can be challenging, but I make it a priority to create time for both physical activity and creative practice. I exercise 4–6 times a week, which helps me stay energized, focused, and resilient in the face of work pressures,” shares Alice.
“I also dedicate time to handicrafts like sewing, knitting, crochet, and weaving. I call this my ‘thinking time’ because it allows me to slow down, reflect, and process ideas while my hands are busy. These activities help me stay grounded, reduce stress, and maintain clarity in both personal and professional decisions,” she adds.
“For anyone balancing intense work, I recommend intentionally carving out time for activities that nourish your body and mind. Physical movement and creative outlets are not just hobbies—they are essential for long-term productivity, mental health, and sustainable leadership,” she continues.
Alice’s Advice for Women Who Want to Create Lasting Change
Alice speaks openly about the challenges female leaders continue to face, including being underestimated, questioned, or expected to prove themselves more than others.
Because of this, she believes the most important quality every female entrepreneur must possess is belief in herself.
“If you do not believe in your own vision, especially during difficult periods, it becomes very easy for others to discourage, control, or redirect you away from your goals.”
She believes that female leaders today face many challenges, including being underestimated, having their expertise questioned, and navigating environments where they are often expected to prove themselves more than others. That is why it is so important to protect your confidence, your ideas, your energy, and your time.
“She also believes you must be careful about who you share information with. Not everyone around you wants to see you succeed, and some people will drain your focus, confidence, or creativity. Surround yourself with people you can trust—people who support you, but also challenge you to grow and think bigger.”
“Another important lesson is learning to protect your time and well-being. Sleep well, stay healthy, and avoid burnout. Clear thinking and strong leadership require balance and discipline.”
“Most importantly, do not allow others to define your limits or tell you what you are capable of achieving. Stay independent in your thinking, trust your instincts, and continue building with purpose and determination.”
“My advice to aspiring female leaders and entrepreneurs is to focus on competence, persistence, and credibility. As a woman, you often have to be exceptionally good at what you do—not just passionate, but deeply prepared, knowledgeable, and resilient. Build expertise that speaks for itself and let the quality of your work create trust and respect,” she says.
At the same time, don’t wait for perfect conditions or external validation before moving forward. Many important ideas begin with simple observations and the courage to act on them. Stay close to real-world problems, listen carefully to people, and create solutions that genuinely improve everyday life.
There will always be obstacles, skepticism, or moments where you feel underestimated. Use those experiences as motivation rather than limitation. Persistence matters more than perfection.
Most importantly, create with purpose. The strongest businesses are not built only around profit, but around meaningful impact, responsibility, and long-term value. When you combine innovation with integrity and determination, you can create lasting change in your industry and beyond.
