11 Feb A Marketing Internship in a Sustainability Company in the World’s Most Sustainable City
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When Kylie Lundgren left Tennessee for Stockholm, she expected a summer that would strengthen her marketing skills. What she didn’t expect was how deeply the city itself would influence her work, her mindset, and her goals.
A marketing major from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Kylie joined Flexpenser AB, a Swedish startup developing eco-friendly dispensing technology. For someone passionate about marketing with purpose, it was the perfect match: a sustainability company in a city where environmental innovation is simply a way of life.
Before the internship even began, Kylie shared on LinkedIn:
“Flexpenser is known for its groundbreaking work in sustainable dispensing technologies, helping reduce waste across industries. I’m looking forward to gaining hands-on experience and supporting their mission.”
Marketing in a startup where every message matters
At Flexpenser, Kylie joined a small, mission-driven team where sustainability wasn’t just a buzzword. She worked on marketing and outreach strategies that highlighted Flexpenser’s airless, waste-reducing packaging solutions. Every post, email, and campaign she touched was designed to educate audiences, not just promote a product.
Fika in between internship tasks!
Being part of a small team also meant that Kylie gained hands-on exposure to the entire marketing process, from analyzing audience engagement to measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. Most importantly, she got to see how marketing decisions connect directly to the company’s mission and impact on the environment.
The experience taught her something essential: marketing in a sustainability startup isn’t just about attracting customers, it’s about education, advocacy, and storytelling.
A city that lives its values
Outside the office, Stockholm gave Kylie a crash course in sustainable living.
Her commute took her through bike-friendly streets, green public spaces, and markets filled with local produce. She embraced fika, Sweden’s iconic coffee-and-pastry break, and discovered how taking time to pause and connect can actually fuel creativity at work.
Embracing the Swedish tradition of Midsommar
She also dove into local traditions and everyday culture: making a flower crown for Midsommar, exploring the city’s waterfront paths, and noticing how design, nature, and daily life are thoughtfully integrated. These shaped how she approached her work in marketing and deepened her understanding of sustainability in daily life.
Learning from a global perspective
Working in an international environment was another key part of Kylie’s growth. Collaborating with a diverse team taught her how to adapt quickly, communicate across cultures, and embrace new ideas.
The experience also sparked her curiosity about sustainability. Observing how Sweden embeds eco-consciousness into business practices and everyday life made her think about how marketing can influence positive change on a much broader scale.
Exploring beyond Stockholm
Before returning home, Kylie visited Copenhagen, another Scandinavian leader in sustainability and design.
A weekend trip to Copenhagen
The clean urban planning, thoughtful public spaces, and emphasis on quality of life echoed what she’d experienced in Sweden, reinforcing that she had spent her summer in a region that doesn’t just talk about sustainability but actually lives it!
A summer that reshaped her goals
Kylie left her two-month internship with more than just a stronger resume. She returned to Tennessee with a broader worldview, new skills, and a deeper sense of purpose.
“[I’m] grateful to the team at Flexpenser for the trust and mentorship, and to Absolute Internship for making this international experience possible. From the projects to the people (and the weekend travels in between), it’s been a summer I won’t forget,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Her experience shows that international internships offer more than technical skills, they immerse students in new cultures, values, and ways of thinking that can shape their future careers.
In Stockholm, the world’s most sustainable city, Kylie didn’t just learn marketing. She discovered the kind of marketer, and global citizen, she wants to become.
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