AJ Produkter
From Beginner to EPD Pioneer – How Richard Eklund Took AJ Produkter to the Top
How an Environmental Scientist with a Practical Background and Strong Drive Became an LCA Specialist – and Produced More EPDs than the Competitors.
A practical doer in a complex world
Taking on LCA and EPD without prior experience can feel like diving straight into a complex and theoretical system. But for Richard Eklund, LCA specialist at AJ Produkter, it was precisely the practical challenge that became the driving force. With a background in environmental science and the construction industry, and a clear goal of contributing to change, he threw himself into the work – with curiosity and an Excel file.
“I had no experience with LCA or SimaPro, but I learned along the way. It was very much about daring to start, finding out what was needed, asking questions – and daring to make mistakes.”
Today, AJ Produkter has published more EPDs than many of its industry peers. What began as a compliance-driven project to meet public procurement requirements has become a strategic part of their sustainability work.
The method together with the tool
The journey began when AJ Produkter tested a software designed to quickly generate EPDs based on standardized templates and pre-set databases, but they quickly realized it wasn’t sufficient for the breadth and variety of their product range. The need for flexibility and the ability to build customized models led to the choice of SimaPro – a powerful yet open tool.
“It’s easy to think that a good tool solves everything, but without a solid method for data collection, it doesn’t matter how good the system is. I built my own structures in Excel to collect data from different parts of the organization.”
With support from Miljögiraff and training in LCA and SimaPro, Richard found a working method that functions in practice – for both smaller analyses and large projects with hundreds of product variants.
From the first analysis to full scale publishing
The first EPD project was also a learning experience in standards, data quality, and dialogue with reviewers. Instead of striving for perfection from the start, Richard built his expertise by doing – and adjusting along the way.
“My first EPD received some additional comments from the reviewer, but that wasn’t a setback. I went back to the standard, learned more – and the next time it went more smoothly.”
Together with EPD reviewer Viktor Hakkarainen from CHM-Analytics and Miljögiraff’s LCA expert Sofia Lindroth, the work became more than just formalities – it became a knowledge-building process. Today, Richard manages projects where he works with over 70 product variants and several hundred items within the same model.
From Obstacle to Driving Force
Working with LCA internally has also meant that AJ Produkter has created a better structure for its sustainability efforts. Today, there is knowledge, processes, and routines in place that make it easier to repeat and scale up the work.
“It started as a requirement, but today we see EPDs as a tool to improve our products. We identify improvement potential, gain better control over materials and impact – and at the same time build credibility with our customers.”
Richard also highlights the mental barrier that many experience when getting started – something he has felt himself, but now wants to demystify.
“You don’t need to be an expert. Start small, learn along the way, and get help when needed. The important thing is to get started.”
Do you also want to build a structured sustainability effort based on facts? At Miljögiraff, we support organizations – regardless of prior knowledge – in progressing from the first analysis to strategic work. Like Richard, we believe that the most important step is to start.
Facts about AJ Produkter
- Industry: Furniture and Interior Design for Workplaces and Public Spaces
- Founded: 1975
- Corporate headquaters: Halmstad, Sweden
- Active market: 20+countries
- In-house production: Among others in Poland, Slovakia, and Lithuania.
- Sustainability focus: EPD:s, energyefficient manufacturing, active LCA work
- Number of published EPDs (2025-05-09): 73
- Customers:Public sector, companies, and organizations.
Photographer: Pontus Johansson https://pontusjohansson.se