Meet Björn The Polar Bear: refurbed’s new brand ambassador
by Vanessa Ricca & Pádraig Power, on Nov 20, 2025Not all heroes save the world before breakfast. Some admire their reflection in the toaster, spill oat milk on their bunny slippers, and accidentally sit on their cub’s drawing - before apologising with extra honey on his porridge. Björn’s mornings might be messy, but his mission is crystal clear: to make conscious living effortlessly cool.
This is his story - the one of a slightly clumsy and dangerously photogenic polar bear who became the face (and fur) of refurbed.
Meet Björn, a polar bear on a (cool) mission
Björn isn’t just any polar bear - he’s a true ambassador for sustainability, with a talent for being unintentionally clumsy in the most endearing ways.
Born and raised in the Svalbard islands, he grew up watching his world change faster than any bear could reasonably keep up with. Instead of giving in to worry, he turned that feeling into purpose.
Day and night, he started capturing everything - reflections, observations, tiny experiments… He was turning those moments into inspiring stories, framed through the lenses of whatever refurbished device he had charged at the time. Until one day…
The moment Björn became more than a storyteller
It was an ordinary morning in the Arctic when everything began to snowball into an unexpected new chapter for Björn. It all started with a short clip of Björn tumbling through thin ice and resurfacing to the sound of his cub Nanuq, laughing so hard the camera shook - a simple moment that went immediately viral.
With that single mishap, entire communities - of humans and bears alike - discovered the rest of his stories. His climate finds, the small sustainable tricks, his everyday attempts at conscious living suddenly started to resonate far beyond Svalbard.
And just like that, Björn became something new: a polar-bear-influencer with a growing community and a message the world wanted to hear.
Where is Björn today?
Today, Björn’s life looks a little different from those early Arctic mornings. After his viral rise, he decided he wanted to use his influence to build a better future for Nanuq - one choice, one story, one laugh at a time.
And that’s when we stepped in. We knew his voice, his curiosity, and his perfectly imperfect way of explaining sustainability were exactly what our mission needed. So we invited him to join the refurbed family as our brand ambassador - an offer he accepted with great enthusiasm.
He now lives together with his wife Elsa, their cub Nanuq, and a very opinionated ginger cat in their new refurbed home - a cosy, modern space built from wood, glass, and recycled materials. From here, he keeps inspiring others to grow into their most sustainable selves.
Why did refurbed choose a polar bear as brand ambassador?
Björn joined refurbed with a vision: showing that living consciously isn’t about perfection, but about care, humour, and everyday choices that matter.
Few animals capture the fragile state of our planet as clearly as a polar bear. But Björn isn’t here to play the role of a crisis symbol. He’s here to be a storyteller. A soft companion who navigates life with the same small struggles we all know too well.
Sharing his little wins and little failures, he brings us along his journey - with a charming presence that instantly makes people stop scrolling and saying: “Wait… is that an eco-conscious bear talking about refurbished tech?”. And that’s exactly the point.
Now let’s open the door to the hard questions. Because transparency matters.
❓ Is Björn a real polar bear?
Yes… and no. Björn has a fully developed story, personality, and family - but he exists digitally, through animated and AI-supported versions that allow us to bring him to life consistently across campaigns, platforms, countries, and languages, without the environmental footprint of traditional campaign productions. He’s real in everything that matters: his values, his mission, his character. Just not in the “you might bump into him at the supermarket” kind of way.
❓ Is Björn entirely created with AI?
No - and that’s important to us. AI is just one part of how Björn comes to life. Behind the scenes, there’s a full team of humans who write, animate, design, develop, direct and refine every detail. AI supports the process (and the message) - but people bring the heart.
❓ Why use an AI-generated mascot at all?
Because sustainability and innovation can belong together. Using AI helps us reduce waste, sometimes avoid unnecessary travel, and create global content in a faster and more effective way. A mascot like Björn can appear in a campaign one moment and in an educational piece the next, consistently, across countries and formats. One day he can “join” a shoot in Vienna, the next he can show up in a digital event in Stockholm, speaking fluent German, Swedish, or whatever language the story calls for - all without a single flight or physical setup. This lets us focus more energy on delivering messages that matter - and less on logistics that don’t.
❓ Isn’t using AI contradictory for a brand focused on sustainability?
Not if it’s done consciously.
AI is a tool - and how it’s used defines its impact.
For us, using AI across global campaigns means:
- fewer flights
- fewer physical productions
- less energy spent on large crews or set builds
- more digital, impactful content shared globally
Compared to the footprint of traditional marketing campaign, Björn’s digital presence leaves only a fraction of the emissions behind. And in a world moving faster than ever, staying aligned with technology helps us share circular messages further - especially when competing with brands that don’t always consider their impact.
❓ Does AI make Björn feel less authentic?
Not at all. Björn’s mission, values, personality, and voice all come from real people. AI simply helps us bring those elements to life more efficiently - without watering them down.
If anything, AI allows Björn to reach more people, in more places, and in more ways. It helps him speak to different age groups - from adults interested in sustainability to kids and families who instantly connect with a fluffy, hopeful character trying his best.
In other words, AI doesn’t take authenticity away.
It helps Björn share it further.
❓ What does Björn actually do as brand ambassador?
Everything from sharing sustainability tips to starring in campaigns, guiding people through refurbished tech, and creating educational content that makes circular living feel achievable.
Through animated and AI-powered versions of himself, he can:
- speak to different markets in their own language
- share stories across multiple formats
- answer questions in Q&As
- highlight the impact of refurbished devices
- inspire families and individuals to make small, conscious choices
- interact with people who want to join his journey
All without ever needing to board a plane.
❓ What’s next for Björn?
More stories. More learning moments. More everyday chaos (bringing Nanuq to laugh). And more ways to make circular living feel accessible, warm, and yes - even fun. Because every refurbished device makes a bigger difference than you think… even for polar bears.
