“The founders thought Zero was an appropriate name, since we were starting from nothing.”

That headline is a quote from Roland Gill, member of the board and one of Zero’s two founders. He became acquainted with the other founder, Andris Nolendorfs, during his time as a product developer at Orrefors Glasbruk’s department for light fixtures in Flygsfors, where Andris was the site manager. At the glassworks they became acquainted with designer duo Börge Lindau & Bo Lindekrantz whose task was to create new products, including some new ideas about light fixtures made of perforated metal that, for obvious reasons, Orrefors was not interested in. However, Roland and Andris saw the potential and thought it was so exciting they started Zero. From nothing, right in the centre of Nybro.

Until the mid-1980s, Lindau & Lindekrantz were the only Zero designers. Thereafter a long and prolific collaboration also began with Per Sundstedt, designer and lighting consultant, whose products live on today.

Pukeberg Glassworks

In 1990, Zero’s operations moved to premises in Pukeberg glassworks, which led to an interest in the possibilities of glass. For a decade, a large part of the product range was made with that material. The close proximity to skilled glassmakers and a long-standing craft tradition inspired new approaches to form, light and materiality. During this period, glass became a defining element of Zero’s design language, resulting in several products that combined technical innovation with Scandinavian simplicity.

The second generation of ZERO

In the 2000s, brothers Per and Thomas Gill became the sole owners of Zero as Roland and Andris gradually stepped back from the company. Bringing their own expertise and forward-thinking vision, they continued to drive the business forward and shape the company we know today.

At the time, Zero was still based in the Pukeberg premises acquired in 1990, but the product portfolio had expanded significantly, with a strong focus on serving interior architects and lighting designers. In 2004, the company entered a new era, marked by a series of collaborations with prominent designers of a younger generation, including Thomas Bernstrand, Mattias Ståhlbom, Monica Förster and Front. Many of the products that define Zero today were developed during this period, and the majority of the current range has been designed since 2004.

The decade also saw the next generation become involved in the business, as Per and Thomas’s children began helping out in various areas, including assembly. Their participation further strengthened Zero’s family-oriented culture and reinforced its identity as a multi-generational company.

The third generation of ZERO

Today, Zero has entered its next chapter as the third generation takes on a leading role in the company. Anna Gill, Sebastian Gill, Pontus Gill and Tobias Gill, the children of Per Gill and Thomas Gill, have gradually assumed greater responsibility within Zero and are now helping to shape the company's future while building on the foundation established by previous generations.

While much has changed since Zero was founded in 1978, the company remains guided by the same entrepreneurial spirit, close relationships and commitment to quality. With one eye on its heritage and the other on the future, Zero continues its journey as an independent family-owned lighting company