IDF awards prize of excellence to LCA team

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) announced that its 2025 Prize of Excellence has been awarded to the IDF Action Team on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The award celebrates the extraordinary contributions of grassroots volunteers who demonstrably advance the federation’s strategic program through Speed, Worldwide visibility, Impact, Focus and Transparency (SWIFT). Comprising around 60 world-class experts from 22 countries and jointly led by Andrew Fletcher (New Zealand) and Anna Flysjӧ (Denmark), with past leadership from Sanne Dekker (Netherlands), the LCA Action Team has been instrumental in positioning the global dairy sector at the forefront of credible climate action. Their work has been critical in harmonizing Life Cycle Assessment methodologies, ensuring the dairy industry can measure, manage and communicate its environmental footprint with scientific integrity and global consistency. “The LCA Action Team’s dedication and expertise have been pivotal in strengthening the credibility of dairy as an environmentally efficient source of nutrition,” said Gille Froment, president of the International Dairy Federation. “Their work embodies the SWIFT spirit, delivering impactful, transparent and globally recognized solutions with remarkable speed and focus. This team has provided the entire sector with the tools to turn environmental commitments into measurable action.” Key Achievements of the 2025 Prize of Excellence Winners:

• Launch of the IDF Carbon Footprint Verification Tool: a landmark achievement, this Excel-based tool was launched in January 2025. It empowers dairy organizations globally to self-assess and verify their carbon footprint calculations against the rigorous, globally recognized IDF Carbon Footprint Standard. The tool was successfully unveiled at the 2024 World Dairy Summit in Paris, and its adoption was further accelerated through a dedicated IDF webinar in June 2025.
• Upholding scientific rigor and global collaboration: building on IDF’s long-standing legacy as a global standards-setting body, the team ensures the scientific credibility of environmental reporting across the dairy value chain. Their work guarantees that sustainability claims are consistent, comparable and trusted by regulators, stakeholders and consumers worldwide.

The award also recognises the team’s ongoing strategic initiatives, which are deeply connected to IDF’s broader scientific programme, such as advancing water stewardship. The team is actively refining the IDF Water Footprint methodology and developing regional case studies to facilitate its practical adoption and support responsible water management across diverse production systems. Another is fostering inclusive global participation by recognising the varied capacities within the global dairy sector, with the team exploring the development of a simplified carbon footprint tool. This initiative is designed to support dairy producers in developing nations as they embark on their greenhouse gas reporting and reduction journeys.