By Lotta MarjamÀki
Lotta MarjamÀki is a Sustainability Engineer at Helvar. She is driving climate action and making sure that sustainability requirements are met. She has a M.Sc. (Tech.) in Environmental Engineering and is passionate about sustainable development.
Growth opportunities at Helvar
My experience as a Master Thesis Worker at Helvar has been immensely positive! I was tasked with calculating the carbon footprints for four representative Lighting Intelligence products through Life Cycle Assessments. The results were then scaled for the whole portfolio to calculate the total footprint. In addition, I modelled the environmental impacts of simple lighting system examples to investigate the total environmental performance for Helvar products (footprint and handprint). My work was comprised of familiarising different standards, collecting data inventory and modelling the product system and results. In addition to my thesis, I also got a chance to participate in other sustainability related work, such as circular economy workshops and sustainability strategy building.
I have been able to grow as an expert thanks to the great culture and opportunities offered by Helvar. I wasnât limited to only working on my thesis â I was strongly encouraged to participate in everything. My knowledge and expertise have been appreciated and Helvar has provided me with an excellent opportunity to work on a wide spectrum of sustainability issues and enabled me to gain valuable experience that is needed in my field.
Contributing towards a sustainable futureÂ
As a Sustainability Engineer, Iâm responsible for driving sustainable transition at Helvar and Iâm mostly focused on the environmental sustainability. My role involves several tasks including answering customer enquiries on environmental issues, calculating carbon footprints for products, and identifying and implementing greenhouse gas emission reductions in own operations and value chain. A big thing I am currently working on is Helvarâs first sustainability report, due to be published in the beginning of 2023.
I feel like I have had the freedom to make an impact from the very beginning, and that the work I do is taken seriously. My master thesis results were used in calculating the Helvar footprint, and the breakdown of results gave valuable information for decision-making and strategy building. My work is an integral part of the sustainability strategy and defines the path towards more sustainable products and operations, thus having an impact on how we operate and how our products are designed and manufactured in the long-term.
The journey ahead
Responsibility, working towards common goals, hunger for renewal and curiousness for the future are key components needed on the road of sustainability. The Helvar values have really come alive during my work for sustainability, but I think ‘Trusted’ and ‘Passion for Growth’ are the ones mostly incorporated in my work.
I really appreciate the unique choice I have been offered at Helvar: working for two cousin companies at the same time. I can now gain experience from two different industries and focus on slightly different issues and perspectives, which I feel is allowing me to grow as an expert in a way that not many others have the possibility to.
What I enjoy most about working at Helvar is the possibility to have an actual impact. My expertise is valued, and I can drive the sustainability mindset forward. It really makes the work feel meaningful; thus, I would recommend Helvar for any thesis worker as your work is appreciated, and your expertise is utilised here.
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