NORTHFIELD, Ill., May 7, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire/ – Most people have heard the saying that you can’t improve what you can’t measure.  But measurement can be complex and time-consuming, especially when it comes to figuring out how to reduce environmental impacts.  Which is why Kraft Foods is using lifecycle assessment (LCA) to help it make the right changes and get the best results.  LCA measures the footprint of what goes into making a product, from farm to fork and beyond.

“Lifecycle assessment is an important part of our sustainability journey,” said Roger Zellner, Sustainability Director for Research, Development & Quality.  “It gives us a competitive advantage, as we now have more insight into how to reduce our products’ footprints, find efficiencies and validate and explain those benefits to customers and consumers.  Together, we’re focusing and working smarter and communicating better, which is good for the environment, people and our business.”

This LCA work builds on the multi-year footprinting project Kraft Foods recently used to map its impact on climate change, land and water use.  Today, employees around the world are using lifecycle thinking to help uncover ways to eliminate waste in manufacturing.  This can reduce the amount of raw materials, such as agricultural commodities, used at the beginning of the supply chain.  LCA also can help measure how product and packaging innovations improve on previous designs, and provide a common system to measure and explain those benefits. Continue reading →