Nestlé: Using LCA to Uncover Hidden Environmental Impacts
Company
Nestlé Nordics, part of one of the world’s largest food producers, has made sustainability an integral part of its daily operations and innovation culture.
Challenge: No In-House LCA Expertise, but a Big Sustainability Question
At the Puljonki factory in Juuka, Finland, the team wanted to go beyond general sustainability targets, they wanted hard data. The goal was to understand the true environmental footprint of one of their key products and see how recent process improvements had changed its impact across the value chain.
However, like many factories at the start of their LCA journey, they didn’t yet have an in-house expert to carry out a full study.
Why Environmental Impacts Academy
To bridge that gap, Nestlé turned to Environmental Impacts Academy’s Hands-On LCA Talent Pool, a network of trained early-career professionals ready to take on real LCA projects. Through this collaboration, Evelina, one of our trained interns, joined the Puljonki team to execute the study under expert guidance, connecting classroom learning with real industrial application.
“I only have good things to say about our intern, the process, and the project. Good value for money.”
Solution: Talent Matching + Hands-On Training + Expert Mentorship
We pre-screened 3–5 candidates based on language skills, technical background, and LCA knowledge. Nestlé selected Evelina, who was then enrolled in our Hands-On LCA Training Program. The setup offered a unique combination of affordability, professional oversight, and capacity-building, giving Nestlé both a high-quality LCA and a first-hand experience of how to integrate LCA work internally.
Over the course of 2 months, Evelina conducted a detailed Life Cycle Assessment of one of Puljonki’s flagship products, comparing its footprint before and after process optimisation. She collected and analysed data from raw materials, production processes, and on-site operations to build a comprehensive, ISO-aligned LCA model.
Throughout the process, she met weekly with Environmental Impacts Academy’s LCA experts, receiving feedback, quality checks, and technical support, ensuring that Nestlé received a credible, decision-ready result while Evelina gained real-world experience.
Results: Data-Driven Insights and New Internal Capability
The study revealed clear priorities for future action: while factory processes had improved efficiency, raw materials remained the dominant source of environmental impact.
These findings are now helping Nestlé focus its sustainability efforts where they matter most, upstream in the supply chain.
“The training was intense but incredibly rewarding. Even without prior experience, I could follow along and complete the project successfully. It’s opened new doors for me in my career.”
Takeaway: You Don’t Need to Wait for In-House Experts to Start with LCA
The collaboration showed how even global manufacturers can accelerate their LCA journey without heavy consulting costs or internal bottlenecks. By combining targeted talent matching, structured training, and expert mentorship, companies can build internal capability and produce meaningful results, starting with just one project.
Ready to explore how your company could do the same?
Explore our Hands-On LCA Program or book a short discovery call to see how we can match you with trained LCA talent for your next sustainability project.