Greenstep conducted a comprehensive LCA calculation for Nature Line Cutlery

Nature Line Cutlery develops the next generation of cutlery made from renewable materials and wood industry side streams. In 2023, Nature Line Cutlery and Greenstep began a partnership focused on sustainability and environmental impact assessment.

The story of Nature Line Cutlery began in 2018 when the founders started developing the next generation of cutlery made from renewable materials and wood industry side streams.

Collaboration with major players in the forestry industry, such as UPM and Stora Enso, enabled the formation of an innovative expert team that focused on sustainable solutions. The company was officially established in January 2020, and Nature Line Cutlery has rapidly grown, with its products now being delivered to over 20 countries.

• The cutlery is manufactured in a modern factory located in Outokumpu, North Karelia.
• The factory employs state-of-the-art injection molding technology and adheres to the highest food quality and safety standards.
• The raw material of this product is 100 % bio-based softwood fibre from side streams of existing forest industry processes. Unlike many other bio-based materials, the raw material does not compete with the food chain.

Nature Line Cutlery is committed to providing sustainable and high-quality products that offer an excellent user experience. The company exemplifies how environmentally friendly innovations can promote business growth and sustainable development.

Collaboration with Greenstep began in 2023

In 2023, Nature Line Cutlery and Greenstep began a partnership focused on sustainability and environmental impact assessment.

1. The collaboration commenced with calculating Nature Line Cutlery’s carbon footprint, which enables the understanding of environmental impacts and allows for setting emission reduction targets.
2. Next, in cooperation, the environmental impacts of Nature Line Cutlery’s products throughout their lifecycle were assessed through LCA calculations.

Info box: What does LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) mean and what is it used for?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an environmental analysis method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle. This includes raw material acquisition, manufacturing, transportation, usage, and waste management.

Read more: Beginner’s Guide to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Key Concepts and Environmental Impact

LCA supports Nature Line Cutlery’s sustainability work and product development

Nature Line Cutlery uses LCA to ensure that its products meet sustainability criteria and to drive continuous improvement. The company has already conducted its carbon footprint calculation twice.

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are strategic priorities for the company, emphasized in both product development and business operations. The results of the calculations are also used for stakeholder reporting.

– Our customers have also set themselves sustainability-related goals, in which we are able to support them with our own monitoring and EPD declaration. Regular implementation of LCA calculations helps us understand the emissions and development targets of our business. Also setting goals becomes easier, tells the CEO of Nature Line Cutlery, Markku Janhunen.

Additionally, LCA calculations support the company’s product development and the launch of new product innovations:

– At the moment, our product development line only includes materials that support our sustainability goals. The LCA calculation model provides us with good support for our decisions to launch product innovations, as our understanding of the carbon footprint of our company and products has improved. We will renew the LCA calculation every time we launch new significant innovations.

How did the project progress?

	1. Kick-off meeting The project began with a kick-off meeting to define the exact schedule, scope of the LCA, applicable standards, and verification requirements. This ensured all parties shared a clear understanding of the project goals and that it would progress as planned.
	2. Data collection phase Next we moved to the data collection phase, where the customer gathered the necessary activity data for the LCA calculations. This typically includes raw material information and quantities, transportation distances of raw materials, energy consumption and types of energy used at the factory, and direct emissions from manufacturing.
	3. Calculation phase During the calculation phase, Greenstep supplemented the data collected by the customer with secondary data and utilized a specialized tool to conduct a product life cycle assessment. After the calculation, Greenstep presented the unverified results of the assessment, and the customer received the first draft of their EPD (Environmental Product Declaration.
	4. Final outcome Finally, the EPD was verified by a third party. After verification, the results can be used for example to support sales. The verification ensures transparency and reliability of the results, which is important for both customers and stakeholders.

What should be considered when ordering calculations?

Previous experience with LCA calculations gave the company a solid foundation for data collection, making the process even smoother this time.

– In areas where we encountered challenges, Greenstep’s team helped us move forward, says Janhunen.

Having now completed the project for the second time, the company also has advice for others considering an LCA:

– When ordering a calculation, it is worth thinking in advance about the data sources that best supports the data collection of a basic information about the company’s consumption (electricity and water, consumption of packaging material, etc.). This leaves more time and opportunity during the process to focus on collecting slightly more challenging data and developing themeasurements (e.g. consumption of the number of packaging films, measuring different types of waste materials in production, etc.).

Smooth collaboration with Greenstep

The support provided by Greenstep’s experts was seen as comprehensive.

– The Greenstep team helped us through the process “by the hand”, for example, in gathering background information, etc. Finally, they provided us with a guide in “easy-to-read” language on how to interpret the calculation that has now been carried out and which areas we could pay more attention to in our operations in the future. The entire process went smoothly and the results were published within the agreed time. We will certainly continue to use Greenstep as our partner in similar projects, Janhunen sums up.