Towards Life Cycle Assessment Implementation in a Decentralized Manufacturing Organization: Drivers, Barriers, and Group-Wide Recommendations at Alfa Laval
(2026) MTTM01 20261Packaging Logistics
Production and Materials Engineering
- Abstract
- Despite the growing importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a key tool to assess the environmental impact of products and services, many companies struggle with its implementation, lacking internal structures and capabilities to incorporate it into their operations. This thesis aims to understand the factors influencing companies' implementation of LCA, examining both drivers and barriers, and translating them into recommendations. Alfa Laval was selected as the single case study for the research, collecting the data through semi-structured interviews across different units of the company, as well as additional sources such as company documents, site visits, and surveys. Frameworks such as the TOE (technology, organization, and... (More)
- Despite the growing importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a key tool to assess the environmental impact of products and services, many companies struggle with its implementation, lacking internal structures and capabilities to incorporate it into their operations. This thesis aims to understand the factors influencing companies' implementation of LCA, examining both drivers and barriers, and translating them into recommendations. Alfa Laval was selected as the single case study for the research, collecting the data through semi-structured interviews across different units of the company, as well as additional sources such as company documents, site visits, and surveys. Frameworks such as the TOE (technology, organization, and environment) framework, as well as the diffusion theory, helped to structure the findings.
The study showed decentralization regarding LCA practices in the organization, with different units being at different stages of LCA adoption. Additionally, drivers and barriers were identified and categorized according to the frameworks, with factors such as the lack of data, complex products, and internal willingness acting as important factors that facilitate or hinder the LCA implementation. Recommendations for LCA work in the company were proposed based on themes such as internal knowledge and improvement of data management. Additionally, recommendations for a company-wide guideline were proposed, highlighting the benefits and shortcomings that it would have in the organization. This was examined through an application study in one unit of the company for a packaging case, where the recommendations and guidelines were analyzed in a concrete case. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Why do companies struggle to put LCA into practice?
Environmental challenges have pushed sustainability to the top of organizational agendas worldwide. Companies face pressure to embed sustainable practices into their operations. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a methodology that maps the environmental impact of a product from production to disposal, has become crucial to address these demands. Yet for many companies, putting it into practice remains as much an organizational problem as a technical one.
We analyzed how Alfa Laval, a large manufacturing company with a wide and complex product portfolio, implements LCA across its different business units. To do this, we interviewed stakeholders across the organization, analyzed surveys,... (More) - Why do companies struggle to put LCA into practice?
Environmental challenges have pushed sustainability to the top of organizational agendas worldwide. Companies face pressure to embed sustainable practices into their operations. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a methodology that maps the environmental impact of a product from production to disposal, has become crucial to address these demands. Yet for many companies, putting it into practice remains as much an organizational problem as a technical one.
We analyzed how Alfa Laval, a large manufacturing company with a wide and complex product portfolio, implements LCA across its different business units. To do this, we interviewed stakeholders across the organization, analyzed surveys, visited company sites, and reviewed internal documents.
What we found was a fragmented picture. Some units had mature LCA practices while others were just getting started. We used two frameworks to make sense of this: the Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework, which helped us categorize factors such as customer demand into drivers and barriers, and a stepwise model that placed each unit at a different stage of LCA adoption.
The biggest obstacles we identified were data management, given the complexity and variety of products, and difficulties getting reliable environmental information from customers and suppliers.
Based on our findings, we recommended the company centralize data management, expand LCA training, and establish clear ownership roles so that responsibilities do not get lost. We also defined a general structure for a company-wide LCA guideline and tested it on a concrete packaging case to check whether it holds up in practice.
Overall, this project helped to understand the relevance of alignment within an organization, especially for sustainability initiatives such as LCA. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9241844
- author
- Kulkarni, Renuka Sanjay LU and Quintero Rueda, Johan Sebastian LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MTTM01 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Life Cycle Assessment, Drivers and Barriers, LCA Implementation, Diffusion Theory, LCA Guideline.
- language
- English
- id
- 9241844
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-25 13:13:35
- date last changed
- 2026-06-25 13:13:35
@misc{9241844,
abstract = {{Despite the growing importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a key tool to assess the environmental impact of products and services, many companies struggle with its implementation, lacking internal structures and capabilities to incorporate it into their operations. This thesis aims to understand the factors influencing companies' implementation of LCA, examining both drivers and barriers, and translating them into recommendations. Alfa Laval was selected as the single case study for the research, collecting the data through semi-structured interviews across different units of the company, as well as additional sources such as company documents, site visits, and surveys. Frameworks such as the TOE (technology, organization, and environment) framework, as well as the diffusion theory, helped to structure the findings.
The study showed decentralization regarding LCA practices in the organization, with different units being at different stages of LCA adoption. Additionally, drivers and barriers were identified and categorized according to the frameworks, with factors such as the lack of data, complex products, and internal willingness acting as important factors that facilitate or hinder the LCA implementation. Recommendations for LCA work in the company were proposed based on themes such as internal knowledge and improvement of data management. Additionally, recommendations for a company-wide guideline were proposed, highlighting the benefits and shortcomings that it would have in the organization. This was examined through an application study in one unit of the company for a packaging case, where the recommendations and guidelines were analyzed in a concrete case.}},
author = {{Kulkarni, Renuka Sanjay and Quintero Rueda, Johan Sebastian}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Towards Life Cycle Assessment Implementation in a Decentralized Manufacturing Organization: Drivers, Barriers, and Group-Wide Recommendations at Alfa Laval}},
year = {{2026}},
}