Blueair Globe, Fall 2013

Blueair Globe

Designed with love in Sweden for Blueair clean rooms everwhere

FALL 2013 Issue 4

‘Stay close to consumers and listen to their needs’ Blueair’s new head of business operations reveals what drives him. Page 4

Inside: • A word from the founder

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• Blueair appoints new Head of Business Operations

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• The Blueair Design Story

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• Blueair Indoor Air Purifiers Safeguard World’s Top Institutions p. 7 • PR Lessons from USA and China

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• 11 Facts You Need to Know About Indoor Air Quality

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• Indoor Air News Update

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A word from the founder

Being a thought leader is powerful magic Companies regarded as ‘thought leaders’ are ones widely seen as making a difference in people’s lives. But being seen as a thought leader in business does not come from being seen as the most successful or the most efficient. Instead, the accolade is often acknowledgement that you are radically changing ideas about an industry and doing very well as a result.

For us at Blueair, becoming an industry guru is more than just being good at what we do.

It is about continuously working to be on the absolute cutting edge of indoor air purification.

It’s about being truly innovative in the way we develop, design and bring our air purifiers to market, coming up with unconventional ideas and, yes, taking risks too.

Blueair has not achieved its current market success by thinking, ‘We have a great product and regular customers, so we can take it easy now’. We are where we are today because of our shared passionate belief that ‘everyone has the right to breathe clean air’. That is what bringing our fantastic air purifiers to market is all about.

The groundbreaking Sense symbolizes how we want to transcend the everyday to deliver the unconventional. Combining great looks with amazing efficiency, Sense broke through all the marketplace conventions about how an air purifier should look. As a result, Blueair’s Sense has won widespread critical acclaim in international design awards for its leading-edge technology, avante garde design and impeccable green credentials.

Acknowledgement of our unique position in our industry also came when we were invited in September to participate in the 4th International Low Carbon Exhibition held in Guangzhou, China. Not only was Blueair invited to take part as an indoor air industry leader, but we were also asked to show our full range of products.

Our latest White Paper on the dangers of PM2.5 is part of our ongoing effort to get public health authorities and governments worldwide to step up and address the problem of indoor air pollution. People need to be educated about the hidden dangers of dust, mold, bacteria and household cleaners, paints and glues. As a ‘go to’ call to action, the White Paper was sent to every member of the European Parliament and is now being launched in China to help put tackling of indoor air pollution on top of health agendas.

Being a thought leader is not our goal at Blueair. We are where we are because we are not afraid to be innovative, to take risks, to do more research, to talk to other experts and to employ awesome people who go that extra mile for our customers. That’s what we do to bring cleaner, healthier indoor air to the world, which is pretty magical by any account.

Bengt Rittri, Founder & Principal

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Market Buzz Cooking can be bad for you A major source of indoor pollutants in the home is cooking according to scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The Berkeley Lab scientists designed an impact assessment approach to quantify and compare the health hazards from 70 chemical pollutants. In a paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2012, the scientists said their had uncovered two pollutants that previously had not been seen as a cause for concern—fine particles and a gas called acrolein. The gas comes from cooking meats and oils and was used as a nerve agent in World War I. Jennifer Logue, the lead author of the paper, said that as “a result of this study, we can not only say that all our ventilation standards should focus on [fine particles], we can also say, hey this is a really big deal because it’s as damaging to the health of the U.S. population as traffic accidents.” (Source: http:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279453/)

By Appointment to the Queen Blueair’s distributor in the United Kingdom has succeeded in getting Blueair air purifiers into one of the most prestigious retail pharmacists in the nation, John Bell & Croydon, located in London’s Mayfair district.

John Bell & Croyden traces its history to 1798 when John Bell opened the original pharmacy on Oxford Street, London. As pioneering pharmacists, the company played a significant role in the founding of pharmacy as a profession in the UK. In 2012, the company celebrated 100 years at its prestigious Wigmore Street location.

John Bell & Croyden were appointed as pharmacists to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1958 and in 2003 became the first retail pharmacy in the world accredited under the international standard for Environmental Management ISO 14001.

John Bell & Croyden’s vision is a healthier world where more people can live life to the fullest. The company has been a leader in the UK in setting standards in providing bespoke and truly holistic health solutions under one roof with a unique combination of exclusive premium and luxury products and specialist services and clinics to reach holistic health solutions, an in-store nutritionist and skin consultation advice and Online Doctor offers a private consultation and prescription service.

“It is an remarkable honor to have Blueair air purifiers on show in the prestigious Wigmore Street showroom of John Bell & Croydon,” says Paul Hogben, head of HPS Limited, the official distributor of Blueair in the UK and Ireland. “The shop is an emporium of health and wellbeing, which Blueair fits naturally into.”

NASA tracks pollen A NASA team is tracking pollen with satellite observations as it coats cars, floats on ponds, blows with the breeze and sparks feverish sneezing and runny noses. The space organization has teamed up with other experts from the medical community, health organizations and U.S. federal agencies to model pollen release cycles and concentrations in America’s southwest to better forecast high-level pollen release and movement. Discover more at www.appliedsciences. nasa.gov.

Incense warning Burning incense, which is a hugely popular in many parts of the world, generates indoor air pollutants that may inflame human lung cells, according to researchers in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina. Using a specially-designed indoor chamber, the researchers measured the particles and gases emitted from two kinds of incense and analyzed both particulate concentrations and levels of gases such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Human lung cells were placed in the chamber to expose them to the smoke, then incubated for 24 hours to allow particulates to settle and the cells to respond. The resulting inflammatory response, a hallmark of asthma and other respiratory problems, was similar to that of lung cells exposed to cigarette smoke. Previous studies have associated incense smoke with a number of health problems, including eye, nose, throat and skin irritation; respiratory symptoms, including asthma; and headaches. (Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Pollutants from incense smoke cause human lung-cell inflammation.” ScienceDaily, 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.)

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Blueair Appoints New Head of Business Operations

‘Stay close to consumers and listen to their needs’

Peter Marttila is Blueair AB’s newly appointed head of business operations, working out of the Stockholm office. Peter brings over twenty years of experience in managing international sales, marketing, channel distribution, operations and business development.

We broke into his busy schedule to learn about what drives him, his passion for business and the vision he has for Blueair moving forward.

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For the past 20 years, he has worked with international sales, marketing, channel distribution, operations and business development, holding a variety of leadership positions at companies such as Microsoft, Aristocrat and Jadestone Group. Global marketplaces have been his workplace for 13 years. Peter has worked and lived in numerous countries, including the US, UK, France and Spain.

His experience encompasses working across the distribution and retailing spectrum. And he has deployed operational processes and product supply chains for distributors and retailers as well as building after-sales centers and processes with end-consumer CRM-systems and programs.

“I built a big part of Microsoft worldwide partner programs and policy’s and I want to bring that experience to Blueair’s distributors and dealers when we grow together.”

“I have a very deep passion for innovative product technologies and services and the ability to translate complex technology messaging into customer value,” he explained. “I am also highly motivated when it comes to working together with customers and partners to understand their business needs and how to build strategic relationships that deliver enduring value to all parties.”

s Blueair AB’s new top executive, Peter Marttila says a key focus for him is to drive consumer awareness about indoor air quality issues and the solutions offered by Blueair.

“I’m absolutely delighted that I’ve been appointed to lead Blueair AB, the company has great people and has built up a great name for its air purifiers over the past 16 years in its category,” Peter told Blueair Globe. He said that he is aware that most people in the world have little knowledge about indoor air quality issues and what solutions exist. “I want to take on that challenge and increase awareness by making Blueair a thought leader when it comes to indoor air quality. Already, there are parts of the world like China, Japan and USA where awareness is higher, which shows in the sales and household penetration. But I believe we must increase our efforts to educate consumers about how high quality air purifier perform so they can compare them to make good buying decisions”.

“Based on Blueair’s past performance, I’m very confident Blueair will continue to work hard to bring the best air purifiers to the different markets, from both a technological and design perspective.”

Close to the consumer Peter stresses that at the end of the day, business success it is about working to be close to the consumer, listening to their needs and ensuring they know about the fantastic air cleaning solutions Blueair delivers them.

Handling rapid growth Peter’s experience with high growth global companies has given him insight into how the people, organization, processes and products

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I have a very deep passion for innovative product technologies and services and the ability to translate complex technology messaging into customer value.

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Peter Marttila wants to make Blueair the thought leader when it comes to indoor air quality. and will spur efforts to educate consumers about the benefits of cleaning their indoor air.

must change in order to handle high and rapid growth. Retaining agility, he says, is nonetheless key during any organizational evolution.

Peter states his belief that as Blueair gears up for strong growth, it is important to invest the time and resources so that processes, systems, organization, products and partners can scale up to meet the challenge of developing, producing and bringing to market the world’s best air purifiers.

Beyond work Family: Wife Hobbies: Travel, golf, wine and food Favorite 3 books: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Dimond, Identity Kain and almost anything by Robert Ludlum.

So what companies does Peter think Blueair could benchmark against?

“There are companies out there like Nespresso who design eye-catching, high quality machines that simplify coffee making – and at the same time, distribute them to households worldwide where it gets a central place in the home with customers being given the chance to order more coffee online that is shipped home,” he said.

Top 3 films: Heaven can wait, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, French Connection.

Top 3 bands/singers: Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Rolling Stones

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The Blueair Design Story

Timeless, out-of-the-box and user-centric Blueair air purifiers are durable, reliable and never look out of place in any living environment.

We asked Blueair design head Joakim Nygren to tell us more about Blueair’s design ascetism and commitment to valuing simplicity over ornamentation. mounts that no-one will ever see. Our standard question is: “Is this to the user’s benefit?” If it is not, it gets taken away.

Q. What should people selling Blueair units be saying about how the design benefits end users?

A. Materiality: steel does not fatigue like plastics, so after five years a Blueair unit will still be as sturdy and quiet as it was when purchased.

Timelessness: In line with above statement, the unit should look as good in five years as today. We stay away from the latest trends, as they are already obsolete when you are carrying your new unit home from the store.

Placement: Blueair units are made to fit into any interior, unobtrusive but sleek. Proportions, colour scheme and – above all – sound design are key factors to Blueair’s success.

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Q. What is the importance of good design to making a brand unique and authoritative?

A. When discussing the significance of design, I often use the word charisma – which by definition is the ability to persuade without logics. Good design makes you bond with your environment, lets you establish an emotional connection to the building, the car – or the air purifier – you are using. The importance of the emotional force in design is still understated, perhaps because it is hard to measure in hard numbers.

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Can good design add credibility to brand messages reaching A. out to consumers?

Design can help telling you the whole story and fundamental philosophy of a brand, without ever reading a sentence. It is through the materials, the colours, the performance and the finishes that a brand builds its integrity. It has to be backed up by quality, however, or the credibility will be lost in an instant.

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A. How does the design of a Blueair product ‘connect and engage’ with consumers?

We strive for a clear communication with consumers: with user-centred, pared down design and honest materials. We try to build on our Scandinavian design heritage, whether it is in collaboration with architects or when designing circuit board

Sense has proven a big hit already winning the hearts and minds of judges of many of the world’s leading design competitions.

What does Sense tell people about where Blueair is heading from a design perspective with other products?

We really changed the game with Sense, it is unlike any other air purifier out there. It tells people that we are not satisfied with already being the best air purifier brand, we intend to reach new levels through design, new collaborations and out-of-the-box thinking. The awards are a reflection of this ambition.

Joakim drove design development of the remarkable Sense, below

Quick Facts About Joakim Hometown: Stockholm Spare time interests: Fatherhood, arts, boating Winter holiday plans: Nothing firm yet, but a trip to New Zealand would be nice.

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Favorite Sense color (and why): Cannot decide between Warm Gray and Powder Pink. They would both look really nice in my home. I might have to get two…

Three books you recommend on the importance of design: Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams Thoughtless Acts?: Observations on Intuitive Design Auction Catalogues (Pierre Berge, Sotheby’s, etc)

Blueair Indoor Air Purifiers Safeguard World’s Top Institutions Blueair’s air purifiers are helping safeguard people in embassies, government agencies, military Installations, medical institutions, high end hotel chains, and global corporations.

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lueair has released astonishing data listing the vast array of international institutions, government agencies and corporations using Blueair air purifiers. The lengthy list of government bodies and cross-industry corporations, as well rising consumer demand worldwide, underlines how air pollution is now increasingly recognized as a serious health danger and the care organizations take to combat the problem.

According to company data, Blueair purifiers can be found in at least: • 32 embassies and consulates from Egypt to China, Indonesia to Mexico.

• 108 international government agencies globally • 90 medical centers in Sweden, Korea, Japan, the USA and elsewhere • 117 universities in Europe, Asia and North America • 12 universities in US News and World Report’s Top 30 • 79 restaurants and hotels, including premium chains such as Hilton, JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton • 50 Forbes Global 2000 Companies in Australia, China, Japan, Korean, the USA and elsewhere • 8 military installations In one example, Blueair has delivered hundreds of its top-of-the-range air cleaners to the European Police Mission (EUPOL) in Kabul, the Afghan capital. The city has one of the worst air problems in the world and suffers a constant haze of airborne pollutants.

The growing demand for quality air purification appears to stem from powerful new research on the health dangers of indoor air pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO), for instance, reports that pediatric asthma has doubled over the past 20 years and 14 percent of childhood chronic asthma can be attributed to traffic pollution. Research published in The Lancet reveals that outdoor air pollution was responsible for 3.2 million premature deaths in 2010 while indoor air pollution took 3.5 million lives.

In an industry fraught with exaggerated claims, Blueair distinguishes itself from much of the competition by creating devices that

actually work in delivering cleaner, healthier air. In independent testing conducted by Kitasato Research Center of Environmental Sciences in Tokyo, Blueair purifiers managed to remove 99 percent of mold, bacteria and viruses from a 107 square foot room in just 10 minutes. Within 20 minutes, the purifier had removed over 99.9 percent of these pollutants from the room.

In June this year, the official Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission ranked the Blueair 503 indoor air purifier the best in protecting Chinese consumers from PM2.5 particles and formaldehyde pollution, arguably the two most serious indoor air threats to human health.

All Blueair units have received the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Portable Electronic Room Air Certification Seal, which verifies that each unit can filter out volume of pollutants it has been declared to filter. This certification is endorsed by both the US Food & Drug administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

To give consumers and businesses a level playing field in in which to make an informed decision about the efficiency of an individual air purfier, Blueair is lobbying for the global use of the CADR (Clean Air Deleivery Rate) system, which measures how efficient air cleaners are at removing pollen, dust, smoke and viruses from indoor air.

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The CADR Seal

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... the best in protecting Chinese consumers from PM2.5 particles and formaldehyde pollution...

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Luxury hotels like Jin Mao Tower Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai use Blueair air purifiers

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a subject consistently overshadowed by outdoor pollution

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Urgent need for efforts to increase public awareness about indoor air pollution threats With research in Europe and the United States showing hundreds of thousands of people are dying due to inhaling particles, gases, fumes and smoke indoors at home and work, Blueair has called on health policy makers to promote increased public awareness about the indoor threat.

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that widely used chemicals found in interior furnishings, cleaning products and personal care products can pose a health hazard by sparking respiratory problems,” said Mr. Rittri.

A majority of those questioned, 41%, believed the air they breathed inside was better than that outside. Yet, a majority also agreed the smell they most wanted to be rid off inside stemmed from smoking.

Estimating the total cost of respiratory disease in the EU’s 28 countries alone at over $380 billion annually, the European Lung White Book says while more than half of all the deaths from lung disease are caused by smoking, other lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are widespread.

On the other side of the Atlantic, research by the American Lung Association (ALA) shows that 400,000 Americans are dieing every year from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) caused by inhaling particles, gases, fumes and smoke at home and work.

Studies by the ALA reveal nearly 132 million people live in counties where monitors show unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution. The ALA ranks ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, as well as scores of toxins such as mercury, arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, and acid gases as all over the place.

ighly credible research in Europe and the U.S. underpins Blueair’s stance that some of the most dangerous pollution is found inside homes and offices – not outdoors.

In September, Blueair warned of the urgent need for policymakers to understand that indoor air pollution is as widespread and dangerous as pesticides or global warming.

Blueair was reacting to a new WHO and European Centre for Disease Prevention White Book stating one in eight deaths in the European Union is due to inhaling particles, gases, fumes and smoke at home and work.

Noting WHO ranks lower respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as two of the top four causes of death, Blueair believes the new White Book* underlines the urgent necessity for greater public awareness about indoor air quality.

“Health policymakers in Europe and globally need to embrace the whole issue of indoor air quality, a subject consistently overshadowed by outdoor pollution despite research showing the air we breathe at home or work is many more times polluted than that outside,” says Blueair founder Bengt Rittri.

A survey earlier this year by Blueair in Europe and the United States revealed how little consumers know about the often-invisible problem of indoor air quality.

“For example, some 78.5 percent of respondents were unaware

The Rising Asthma Health Toll

The number of asthma sufferers is growing globally every year, with about one in 12 people in the USA suffering from the disease. Europe has an estimated 30 million asthma sufferers.

Although scientists do not know what causes asthma, it is believed a number of factors such as exposure to indoor or outdoor allergens, air pollution, smoking and

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respiratory infection may be involved – all of which can be alleviated using readily available technology such as air purifiers.

What does it feel like to have asthma? According to some, it feels somewhat like taking deep breaths of very cold air on a winter day. And, as the airways to the lungs get narrower, breathing becomes harder, may hurt, and can lead to coughing.

Thought Leader Academy

Taking control of your own health People in many parts of the world are growing increasingly concerned about how the external environment is impacting their health and are turning to innovations that help them control both their well-being and their impact on the planet. We get a look into today’s consumer-driven future with the following key insights from Tara Hirebet, Singapore-based head of Asia-Pacific at trendwatching.com, an independent and opinionated consumer trends firm.

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s Asia continues to develop and consumption in the region continues to rise, wastage from that consumption is becoming a growing issue, as consumers now feel the environmental and health impact of it in their daily life.

As a result, health is truly wealth for brands and companies, as it is fast becoming a priority spend in the region, especially for homes, families and children.

Healthcare spend in China, for example, is projected to rise from $357 billion back in 2011 to $1 trillion in 2020 (McKinsey, September 2012). So watch out for consumers snapping up ‘Weallthy’ innovations that offer more quantified, transparent and real-time environmental data so they can be better in control of their own health, as well as ones that help protect them indoors and outdoors or offer a herbal rebalance to their chemically processed lives.

Driving this trend Closer to home: Pollution and sanitation issues today are on people’s doorsteps on a daily basis, making its impact obvious and personal.

This is driving consumers towards healthier and more hygienic life changes.

Scandals everywhere: Food and health safety scandals are getting bigger media coverage and seem more widespread. They’re also no longer local issues; they’re international, with foreign countries and companies involved in them.

Fear and distrust: Asian consumers suspect a lack of immediacy and transparency in both the data being released by governments and corporations and the actions taken to prevent or to solve them. Consumers now want to own and track their own data and implement their own health measures.

Here are four ideas to help your client or brand cater to growing health safety needs: 1. Homes as health-controlled zones Embed health technology into actual furniture and fixtures and create smartphone apps that offer control, tracking and syncing. The message you need to market is that you can turn consumers’ homes (and them) into controllable health zones and create a sanctuary away from external urban dangers, where they can detox their bodies before going back outdoors.

For example, the S$50 Sonaki Vitamin C Hand Shower has a showerhead fitted with a Vitamin C filter. This neutralizes any chlorine and toxic elements in the water and provides users with a dose of Vitamin C when used. While in Hong Kong, James Law Cybertecture has created the Cybertecture Mirror, a digitally enhanced augmented reality mirror with a sensor pad that detects and displays a user’s heart rate and vital signs and syncs it with their personal devices. It also displays social media updates, weather forecasts and personal calendars on it.

2. Hip herbals Make a modern version (update) of traditional herbal beauty care, healthcare and medical care or add traditional herbal ingredients into current beauty and food product ranges. This will satisfy Asian consumers who are looking to their past for less chemically processed options, but want them with modern quality control and safety standards.

Dough & Grains in Tiong Bahru is the first modern TCM bakery, that incorporates traditional Chinese medicine ingredients and aesthetics into modern baked goods.

Examples include Ginseng Wolfberry Cupcakes, Longan and Yakult Muffins and White Lily Buns that feature a white edible ‘lily’ draped over a green Macha bun.

3. Concierge-level Healthcare Reimagine and redesign healthcare environments for the affluent as pampering, comforting 5-star resorts or spas. Offer lazy luxury conveniences and services and emphasise this in marketing images and messages.

The Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital is called a ‘hospi-TEL’ because it is designed to look like a 5-star hotel. Rooms come with en suite marble bathrooms with rain showers and hot and cold bidets, a safe, a mini bar and fridge, a pillow menu, a personal entertainment centre, high-speed Internet and floor-to-ceiling stunning city views. Patients are also provided with a private nurse and butler services.

4. Safety Net Create transparent real-time data tracking devices, apps and maps of food safety, pollution, sanitation and disease. Also think about incorporating crowdsourced data and embedding advice and discussion forums. This will make consumers and citizens feel empowered and in control of their own health and safety. Since April 2013, Shanghai and Shaoxing’s maps have become open platforms (crowdsourced) with more cities to follow. Now a private user or NGO can set up an account and create hazard alert posts offering anything from simple GPS co-ordinates and info, to photos and independent reports.

Now is the time to help consumers put the balance back into their lives and place them in a position of knowledge and power (vs. fear) over their own health and safety.

Do it well, and you will put your brand in a more powerful position too.

“Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings in five languages to more than 225,000 subscribers worldwide.”

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PR Lessons From USA

The Mission – Reach out and engage with season relevant information For the past few months, Blueair Inc in Chicago has been working with a local public relations agency, SSPR, to engage with media and consumers. SSPR account supervisor Jonathan Gluskin shares the work the agency has been doing to enhance consumer knowledge about indoor air issues and Blueair solutions.

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ith fall here, trees are now filling out with colorful leaves; Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon; and American football is occupying our weekends. Amidst all the aforementioned good that fall brings, a drop in temperatures and a rise in allergies unfortunately come with it too. That’s why the work Blueair is doing is so important – our air purifiers are actually lessening the effects of allergies, and of indoor air pollution as a whole. Most people don’t know that.

That’s why it’s our mission this fall and winter to educate America on how air purifiers – particularly Blueair air purifiers – can make there be fewer sneezes, lessened coughs, and more trees saved from not having to use tissue after tissue to combat a runny nose.

Anyone living in the USA might have noticed seeing the Blueair name in some of their favorite blogs and websites these past few months. The Blueair Sense was featured on TheCelebrityCafe.com back in July.

Apartment Therapy did a great article in August as well. Wired.com featured an article from Blueair USA President Herman Pihltrad about the challenges of indoor air pollution.

We just gave away a brand new Blueair Sense to a lucky winner who responded to our recently completed Facebook survey.

We’ll be turning to you more and more in these coming months.

Here in our hometown of Chicago, Herman will be talking with the WGN Morning News team in the upcoming weeks about the top5 ways to fight fall allergies.

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to be seeing more of us too. The DIY Network will be featuring the Blueair Sense in an upcoming “I Want That” episode.

“People are starting to take note about Blueair and the entire air purification industry in general – it’s only going to continue,” said Herman. “Fall and winter don’t have to be miserable this year. We’ll be spreading that message. Actually, maybe everyone within the Blueair world should too.”

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People are starting to take note about Blueair...

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Jonathan Gluskin is forging new media links to promote the Sense and other Blueair air purifiers to consumers across North America

PR Lessons From China

The Mission – Driving home the IAQ messages with ePR Blueair China has been running a highly successful publicity campaign harnessing ePR. We learn from marketing manager Daisy Lei in the Shanghai office about how the campaign was run and the results achieved in driving interest in cleaner indoor air and Blueair’s solutions to the problem.

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n China and around the world, PM2.5 fine particles are now increasingly linked in the public eye to health risks and a wide range of diseases in homes and workspaces.

Few people will have missed the television images broadcast globally of the men, women and children living in China’s huge metropolitan areas suffering horrific levels of air pollution. People in China are badly in need of breathing clean and fresh air, so air purifiers naturally have become the new sweetheart of consumers.

The attention from government, media and consumers on air pollution has increased rapidly in China over the past 24 months. In May of 2013, the Shanghai Consumer Council conducted an official comparison of more than 20 air purifier brands. The result showed Blueair ranking No. 1 on all criteria, ranging from efficiency to ease of use!

However, few consumers know how to choose the right air purifier.

In order to give consumers the opportunity to compare the efficiency of air purifiers and make the right choice, Blueair China carried out a two-month ePR campaign starting in July 2013.

According to the statistics, the main platforms for Chinese people to gain, communicate and exchange information are: social media platforms such as Sina Weibo (Chinese micro blog site) and bulletin board system (BBS) forums. At the beginning of July, an original article based on scientific and technological insights about indoor air pollution was published on several major websites, which gave netizens professional advice about how to select the proper air purifier.

August is the hottest month in China, and one of the most popular topic is “how we can breath healthier air in the summer”. Accordingly, an original article and blog focused on fashion trend aspects of indoor air was released at the end of July, which gave hot tips to consumers about how to protect themselves by improving their indoor air quality with the right air purifier.

Similarly, an article and blog about PM2.5 and environmental protection was been published on several major websites at the beginning of August. At the same time, Blueair’s marketing department in Shanghai created six original Weibo sites connected to the three articles and posted them to Blueair China’s Weibo site.

The two month ePR campaign had a potential audience of more than thirty million netizens and one immediate result was a doubling in the numbers of members on the Blueair China Weibo pages. And, following the online buzz generated, Blueair moved its ranking up to fifth place from eighth among the high-end air purifier brands.

Blueair China will kick-off the next four month ePR campaign and media briefing event in September. We believe in Blueair can further maximize brand visibility and generate positive word of mouth by integrating traditional media and online platforms in communications.

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... few consumers know how to choose the right air purifier.

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Daisy Lei, Blueair marketing manager in Shanghai has helped implement a highly successful PR campaign across China.

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Inside Story

11 Facts You Need to Know About Indoor Air Quality A human being uses something like 11,000 liters of air (388 cubic feet) in a day (more if you exercise a lot, which makes ambient air pollution a substantial environmental problem.

Indoor air quality os one of the top five environmental risks to public health, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

WHO and other health institutions warn polluted indoor air contributes to many diseases, including lung disease, respiratory tract infections, asthma and lung cancer.

Nearly 2 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use.

Nearly 50% of pneumonia deaths among children under five are due to particulate matter inhaled from indoor air pollution.

The vast majority of homeowners in much of the developed world are not aware that pollution may be worse inside their homes than outdoors. Almost eighty percent of respondents to a Blueair survey in 2012 said they had no idea how polluted their indoor could be.

More than 1 million people a year die from chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD) that develop due to exposure to such indoor air pollution.

Common indoor air pollutants include dust particles, pollen, mold, dust mites, carbon dioxide, radon, tobacco smoke and chemicals from furnishings, cleaning liquids and other sources such as burning incense.

Indoor air pollution is found in urban and rural environments. Modern dwellings see bigger buildups of indoor pollution due to the way they are constructed ‘tight’ to conserve energy, which restricts ventilation.

Health authorities in Europe and the USA say indoor air pollution is two to five times worse than outdoor pollution (and can be up to 100 times worse).

The three key ways to improve indoor air quality are source removal, air cleaning (such as using a Blueair air purifier) and increased ventilation.

Indoor Air News Updates The dangers of thirdhand smoke A study led by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that thirdhand smoke—the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out—causes significant genetic damage in human cells. Furthermore, the study also found that chronic exposure is worse than acute exposure, with the chemical compounds in samples exposed to chronic thirdhand smoke existing in higher concentrations and causing more DNA damage than samples exposed to acute thirdhand smoke, suggesting

that the residue becomes more harmful over time. “This is the very first study to find that thirdhand smoke is mutagenic,” said Lara Gundel, a Berkeley Lab scientist and co-author of the study. “Tobacco-specific nitrosamines, some of the chemical compounds in thirdhand smoke, are among the most potent carcinogens there are. They stay on surfaces, and when those surfaces are clothing or carpets, the danger to children is especially serious.” Their paper, “Thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage in human cells,” was published in the journal Mutagenesis.

Poor school air sparks respiratory problems A study of indoor air at schools in Finland, the Netherlands and Spain indicated moisture damage in schools was having an adverse effect on respiratory health in pupils, especially in the Northern climate. Teachers working in schools with moisture problems had a higher risk of upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms, underlining the public health relevance of damp and mould problems in indoor workplaces. The five year HITEA research project carried out by Professor Aino Nevalainen and Docent Anne Hyvärinen at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Kuopio, Finland also showed that up to 47% of the schools surveyed suffered from moisture and dam problems impacting indoor air quality. (Source: www.hitea.eu/)

Indoor air cleaners can ease asthma symptoms in children In the U.S., a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study of Baltimore City children who have asthma and live with smokers shows that indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower the rates of daytime asthma symptoms to those achieved with certain anti-inflammatory asthma drugs. The researcher warned, however, that although the air cleaners improved the overall air quality in homes, they did not reduce air nicotine levels and did not counter all ill effects of second-hand smoke. Lead investigator Arlene Butz, Sc.D., M.S.N., C.P.N.P., an asthma specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s and professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was quoted by Medxpress.com as saying: “Air cleaners appear to be an excellent partial solution to improving air quality in homes of children living with a smoker but should not be viewed as a substitute for a smoke-free environment,” Asthma is the most common pediatric chronic illness, affecting 6.5 million children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 30 percent of children in the United States share a home with a smoker, and up to two-thirds of children in urban neighborhoods live with a least one smoker, the researchers said.

(Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-indoor-air-cleaners-ease-asthma.html)

Traffic pollution and wood smoke increase asthma in adults Asthma sufferers frequently exposed to heavy traffic pollution or smoke from wood fire heaters, experienced a significant worsening of symptoms, a new University of Melbourne led study has found. The study is apparently the first of its kind to assess the impact of traffic pollution and wood smoke from heaters on middle-aged adults with asthma. The results revealed adults who suffer asthma and were exposed to heavy traffic pollution experienced an 80 percent increase in symptoms and those exposed to wood smoke from wood fires experienced an 11 per cent increase in symptoms. Dr John Burgess of the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne and a co-author on the study said “it is now recommended that adults who suffer asthma should not live on busy roads and that the use of old wood heaters should be upgraded to newer heaters, to ensure their health does not worsen.” (Source: University of Melbourne. “Traffic pollution and wood smoke increases asthma in adults.” ScienceDaily, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Sep. 2013)

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New team members at the Swedish office

N

ew faces are filling up the Blueair head office in Stockholm, Sweden, to help meet the fast growing demand for Blueair’s air purifiers. From the top down, the girls are: Emily Kong, Dealer and Order Support, Elin Engberg, Project Manager, Matilda Hübinette, Marketing Assistant and Hanna Kowalski, Sales Coordinator. From the top down, the guys are Peter Marttila, Head of Business Operations, Alexander Blomqvist, New Accounts Manager and Johannes Blackne, Project Manager.

New UK App uses first ever index to report the health impact of long-term exposure to air pollution Clean Air in London (CAL) has launched a revolutionary new App, initially for iPhones and iPads, to build public understanding of the dangers of air pollution after finding many Members of Parliament (MPs) (and others) do not understand these dangers.

Government estimates for the number of deaths attributable to different public health risks are: Smoking - Nearly 80,000 in England (2011); average 10 years.

Air pollution - 29,000 in the UK (2008); average of 11.5 years (excludes short-term impact).

Alcoholism - 15,000 to 22,000 in England; average men 20 years, women 15 years.

Obesity - 9,000 in England; average nine years.

Road traffic accidents - 1,901 deaths in Great Britain in 2011.

Over 100 MPs responded to a survey for CAL by Politics Home. They were asked to ‘Rank the following risk factors in terms of the number of early deaths attributable to them in the UK annually: air pollution; alcoholism; obesity; road traffic accidents; and smoking (excluding passive smoking)’. Responses showed: Overall, MPs overall wrongly ranked the risks in descending order (most dangerous to least dangerous) as: smoking; obesity; alcoholism; road traffic accidents; and air pollution.

None of the political groupings ranked the risks correctly.

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Over two-thirds of Conservative MPs thought air pollution is responsible for fewer attributable deaths than road traffic accident deaths.

Nearly twice the proportion of Labour MPs (18%) correctly identified air pollution as a top three public health risk compared to Conservative MPs (10%) (and 14% of Liberal Democrats MPs).

The new App is being launched to address widespread ignorance of these issues. It uses the innovative Clean Air in Cities IndexTM (or Birkett IndexTM), developed by Clean Air in London (CAL), to report the health impact from long-term exposure to dangerous airborne particles (PM 2.5) for the total population in a local area, region and England as a whole.

The Blueair Manifesto.

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A Blueair Family Member has her say…

Robin Bousel works as a dealer accounts sales manager in the Chicago office of Blueair Inc. She’s been with Blueair for three years, so we felt it was time to hear something from her….

Robin, what did you do prior to joining Blueair?

I’ve had a wide variety of different sales and customer service jobs in the past. I have also worked in the arts industry on and off for a number of years, performing when I was younger and, more recently, on a management and production level. Right before I came to Blueair, I was working for the company that houses touring and sit-down Broadway productions in Chicago as well as working in administrative support for a staffing firm.

also helping them to really understand who we are as a company and as people as we go. We want to be a fun and easy partner to work with and have good partnerships that make sense on both sides, helping us in our mission and helping our partners to grow as well. On the internal side, my job also involves managing and building our Dealer Sales team, and collaborating with our Blueair team as a whole to problem solve, plan and implement change and keep forward momentum as we expand and grow the company and the brand.

What does your job with Blueair INC involve?

As the dealer accounts sales manager, I work mainly with our specialty shops and smaller online and physical retail partners, as well as working with Amazon. My on-going goals are to focus the channel as a whole, equalize and maintain policies and, most importantly, continue building relationships and educating our partners about the benefits of clean indoor air (and the solutions Blueair provides). We are arming our partners with as much knowledge as possible— spending more time with them face to face, providing product training and sales support, while

What’s your impression of Blueair as a company?

Blueair is a company built on a foundation of integrity and innovation, driven by talented, ambitious and passionate people who all share the vision that was planted from day one — to make the world’s best air purifiers.

There are often challenges and, sometimes, incredible hurdles, but at the end of the day, what Blueair does is extremely important work and on a big-picture level, I think we all love what we do. It is ultimately that love that fuels us to keep pushing the limits and demanding excellence regardless of the hard roads we often have to take to do the

Testing the air

Killer air

Europe’s Institute for Health and Consumer Protection has developed a sophisticated fullscale test room facility called the INDOORTRON, to study the emissions of hazardous substances from consumer products and building materials.

The INDOORTRON is a 3 x 4 m walk-in environmental chamber in which parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, air quality and exchange rate, can be precisely controlled. For experimental purposes, the INDOORTRON is filled with ultra-clean air. Advanced instrumentation measures concentrations of suspended particulate matter and monitors the levels of chemical compounds (VOCs - volatile organic compounds) in the chamber air.

Where on the planet are you most likely to die early from air pollution? According to NASA maps, it is more likely in heavily urbanized places in eastern China, India, Indonesia, and Europe that annually see rates as high as 1,000 deaths per 1,000 square kilometers. NASA’s maps were based on the work of Jason West, an earth scientist at the University of North Carolina who’s investigating the health effects of bad air. According to computer models that West and his team constructed, an incredible 2.1 million deaths a year can be attributed to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, dust specks coming from the likes of car-exhaust pipes and industrial smokestack. (Source:http://m.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/09/heres-whereyoure-most-likely-die-air-pollution/6946/)

Blueair Globe

is published by Blueair AB, Sweden.

Editor under Swedish Law Jonas Holst. Designer Matilda Hübinette.

Produced and written by David Noble.

Copyright Blueair AB, Stockholm, Sweden

right things. As a company and a concept, Blueair is love, which I have always thought to be quite rare and extraordinarily special.

What is so great about the job you are doing today?

Opportunity! Blueair offers the chance to be a part of something bigger than just a job and a paycheck. Most of the sales and customer service positions I’ve had in the past all felt very similar but with Blueair, it doesn’t really feel like a sales job. It’s more like a crusade to educate people and create positive change, working with great people internally and strengthening our partnerships externally as well. We also provide great service and a direct path to cleaner, healthier air which is very satisfying. Again, although it’s not without its obstacles, it’s a labor of love with Blueair and for that I am very grateful.

What is your favorite color of Sense - and why?

I love the whole color palette of the Sense units, but my favorite is the Mocca Brown. I think it’s just a very attractive and sleek color (and it’s resemblance to chocolate, which I love so very dearly, is purely coincidental).

Don’t smoke near your kids

Each year, second hand smoke sends 7,500-15,000 American children aged 18 months or younger to the hospital. Hundreds of thousands of children will develop respiratory tract infections from second hand smoke this year. (Source: American Lung Association)

Europe’s indoor air quality Studies conducted by the European Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (HCP) monitored indoor and outdoor air quality in relation to selected chemical substances (aromatics, carbonyls, terpenes etc.) in public buildings, schools and kindergartens across the EU. The study found that the total concentrations of volatile organic substances inside the selected buildings were higher in most cases than outdoor concentrations – and are a serious cause of concern.