At Husqvarna Group, sustainability and innovation go hand in hand. The Sustainovate Excellence Award celebrates the bold ideas and dedicated actions that help us shape a more sustainable future. 

This year’s award goes to a cross-functional team from Gardena Division, who turned a simple question into a powerful example of circular innovation: Could returned hoses in broken hose boxes be recycled and reborn as new products? 

From waste to worth 

When broken hose boxes were returned to Gardena’s service department, the hoses inside were typically discarded. The team saw an opportunity to change that — and embarked on a two-year journey to make it happen. 

“We thought it would be easy,” says Markus Maag from the Product Sustainability Team, “but the hoses we got back were full of water. The recycling machines literally flooded.” 

Recycling PVC hoses proved challenging, especially when wet. But the team kept experimenting and partnered with recycling material companies to find solutions. After cutting and drying the hoses, they succeeded in creating high-quality recycled material that could be reused in production. 

Circular innovation in action 

Today, Gardena can reuse customer-returned hoses, reducing the need for virgin material by around 50%. It’s a concrete step toward a circular economy — and a demonstration that persistence, teamwork, and innovation can deliver measurable impact. 

“This project perfectly combines operational efficiency with sustainability,” Markus explains. “It reduces waste and helps us meet our CO₂-reduction targets. But most importantly, it shows that persistence pays off. You just have to keep going, even when it gets tough.” 

The project embodies Husqvarna Group’s culture values — bold, by challenging what’s possible in materials recycling; dedicated, through two years of problem-solving and teamwork; and care, by protecting the environment and shaping a sustainable future. 

Congratulations to our Sustainovate Excellence Award winners 2025! 
Your commitment to innovation and sustainability is helping us make circularity real.