Research in sustainability put to use at global company

As a sustainability strategist, Helena Nydahl works to strengthen the company’s sustainability efforts and report on its impact from various sustainability perspectives. All publicly listed companies are required to produce sustainability reports, and the concept of sustainability has grown to encompass much more in recent years.

“We’ve had to broaden our focus from primarily looking at climate impact to also addressing social sustainability and integrating sustainability into the business strategy,” says Helena Nydahl.

I found it exciting that an industry partner was involved and that the research had a more applied angle.

Engcon is a mechanical engineering company and a world leader in the manufacture of tiltrotators – excavator attachments that allow tools such as buckets or grapples to tilt and rotate. The company is headquartered in Strömsund, with around 450 employees and sales offices around the world. Helena Nydahl works from the town of Östersund.

Looked for a new jobb

Her current role is the result of focused effort – and a bit of chance. In 2016, Helena, who holds a degree in energy and environmental engineering, was looking for a new job when she came across an advert from Umeå University for a doctoral position within the Industrial Doctoral School.

“The project focused on energy use in buildings from a sustainability perspective and was conducted in collaboration with the municipal housing company AB Bostaden. I found it exciting that an industry partner was involved and that the research had a more applied angle. I also felt a strong desire to return to the university,” she says.

At the time, the concept of life cycle analysis was still relatively new. Helena’s task was to translate the results of the analysis into terms that made sense to a company – and to assign a monetary value to carbon dioxide savings.

Important network

During her time at the Industrial Doctoral School, she met other doctoral students from a wide range of research fields.

“The network was incredibly valuable – we learned a lot from each other. We also had the chance to meet companies beyond our own project partners and gain insights into how profit-driven businesses view research and development, which often differs from the academic perspective. And we had a lot of fun together. Our projects varied, but many of us faced similar challenges,” she says.

As Helena Nydahl was finishing her doctoral thesis, she felt a strong desire to return to Östersund, where she had grown up. That’s when she contacted Engcon and offered her expertise in life cycle analysis and sustainability reporting. What began as a project-based position later became a permanent role.

Valuable experiences

Helena finds that the experience she gained from the Industrial Doctoral School has been highly valuable – for example, learning how to communicate research in ways that make sense to a business audience, and being able to quickly extract the most relevant points from research papers and policy frameworks.

“That’s something I’ve found I have more experience with than many of my senior colleagues – and it’s very useful in my job, especially when I need to get up to speed on new legal requirements. I also think the doctoral training taught me how to manage large amounts of data and break down complex problems.”

What’s the best part of your job?

“Having the sense that I’m contributing to something bigger than just the profit margin – helping steer the company toward a future where climate responsibility, fair working conditions, and gender equality are hopefully key components of doing business. And it’s also quite a flexible job, where I’ve been able to shape my responsibilities,” says Helena Nydahl.