PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name and Surname:
Tuula Löyty
Location:
Lahti, Finland
Nationality
Finnish
SUMMARY
Tuula Löytty founded Alfieri Architettura S.r.l. (Alfieri Architecture), in Catanzaro, Italy, and she is an award-winning researcher with extensive experience in the field of food system development, leveraging a background in industrial engineering and continuous improvement methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma.
Her works bridging the gap between rural and urban communities and implementing circular economy principles, across the food system value chain. Her contributions span from addressing waste at the agricultural production level to innovating solutions for food packaging and household waste. Her approach is rooted in Systems Thinking and the practical application of participatory innovation through Living Labs.
She has a proven track record in leading and implementing diverse projects, driving process improvements and promoting a participative approach and collaboration in co-design initiatives.
She is skilled in managing EU-funded projects and facilitating innovation in various industries and domains.
POSITIONS
From 2019 to present
Engineer, Research and Development – R&D Expert, founding partner at Alfieri Architecture, “Alfieri Architettura s.r.l.”.
From 2018 – present
CEO, Development and Innovation Engineer at Smart & Lean Hub Oy.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (SELECTION)
From March 2025
to February 2028
Scope: The Circ@home Project aims to make circularity “accessible, understandable and doable for everyone” by targeting the “Town-Home-Service triangle”. This initiative focuses on behavioral changes at the household level, supported by municipalities and services. By introducing “Circularity Hubs” and a training program, the project aims to drive a collective reduction in environmental footprint.
Role: Project Manager.
From October 1st, 2024, to September 30th, 2027
Scope: The KijaniSpace Project is one of the Horizon 2020 initiatives, and is a cutting-edge initiative leveraging Space and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to transform agriculture.
KijaniSpace, meaning “Green Space” in Swahili, is a groundbreaking collaboration between African and European partners. The project integrates Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data and IoT technologies into a unique solution platform known as KijaniBox. This platform aims to empower smallholder farmers with actionable insights for crop and fish farming, enhancing productivity and resilience against climate challenges.
Role: Project Manager.
From January 2024
to December 2026
Scope: The PoliRuralPlus Project is one of the Horizon 2020 initiatives, focusing explicitly on strengthening “bi-directional rural-urban interaction”. This project’s strategic goal is to reduce the service divide by creating a reciprocal flow of services, resources, and opportunities. Löytty’s publication, “Bi-Directional Rural-Urban Interaction,” highlights the Mallusjoki pilot in Finland as a prime example of this approach. This pilot leverages the creative sector and cultural events to create an “ecosystem” that benefits both rural and urban stakeholders. The Mallusjoki pilot showcases an innovative approach to economic development that extends beyond traditional agriculture. It uses a “Rural Event Industry Ecosystem” as a platform for collaboration, uniting local producers and service providers to attract urban visitors. This model not only provides rural producers with access to larger urban markets but also offers urban dwellers unique cultural and nature-based experiences, effectively turning tourism into a strategic tool for shared value creation. Löytty’s contributions to this project, including authoring several blog posts and news flashes, underscore her role in designing and implementing this community-based, collaborative platform. This work demonstrates a deep understanding that rural and urban areas are not separate entities but are part of a single, interdependent system, and that sustainable development requires fostering a synergistic relationship between the two.
Role: Research and Development – R&D Expert, Project Manager.
From November 2023
to October 2026.
Scope: The Change(K)Now! Project is centered on promoting a “mindset change from single-use to circular or multiple-use of food delivery systems” in cities across the Baltic Sea Region. Within this project, a pilot initiated in Lahti, Finland, aims to develop sustainable procurement criteria for food packaging in public kitchens, such as those that serve schools and hospitals. This specific initiative directly addresses the substantial volume of packaging waste generated in professional kitchens, aiming to reduce waste, accelerate the circular economy, and promote green procurement practices through policy levers.
Role: Project Manager.
From October 1st, 2020 to September 30th, 2024.
Scope: The Cities2030 Project is one of the Horizon 2020 initiatives, focusing on the transformation of urban food systems. The project’s main goal is to create “future proof and effective” urban food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and centered on the citizen.
The Lahti Living Lab is a practical environment where theory and practice converge. It is a tangible application of participatory innovation process, a space where researchers, entrepreneurs, city officials, and citizens can co-create and test solutions in a real-world context.
One of the most compelling examples of this is a September 2023 publication co-authored by Löytty on an “IoT-Sensor-Equipped Food Waste Bio-Composter”. This article highlights a pilot that addresses the challenges faced by Finnish municipalities in implementing a new law aimed at increasing household food waste recycling.
The IoT-enabled composter is a perfect illustration of how Löytty’s expertise links data and technology to policy and behavioral change. The problem is not just technological; it is a policy challenge of how to supervise waste management in real-time and an expense for municipalities.
This methodology recognizes that challenges such as food waste, rural depopulation, and unsustainable practices are not isolated problems but rather symptoms of a larger, interconnected system. By adopting a Systems Thinking approach, Löytty and her teams can identify root causes and design interventions that create synergistic, long-term change across multiple actors and domains.
Role: R&D Expert, Project Manager and “Lahti Living Lab fasilitaattori” (Lab facilitator). Her role as a facilitator of these experiments underscores her capacity to lead collaborative efforts that lead to actionable, systemic improvements. Living Lab is the practical vehicle that integrates her technical, strategic, and community-building expertise
From June 1st, 2019
to September 30th, 2022.
Scope: The PoliRural Project is one of the Horizon 2020 initiatives designed to foster policy co-creation for rural development using data-driven tools and methodologies. As an expert in this project, Löytty contributed to the use of “System Dynamics Modeling” to foresight the long-term future of regions like Häme, Finland, until 2040. This work represents a clear application of her Systems Thinking methodology, using a simulation tool to understand the complex interplay of factors influencing rural attractiveness and well-being.
Role: R&D Expert, Project Manager.
From 2002 to 2018
Scope: For Technical University of Helsinki, Aalto University, Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland, Löytty has Led EU-funded projects on digital manufacturing, circular economy, and productivity. Provided Lean and Six Sigma training and implementation to diverse industries. During this period, Löytty applied and taught the principles of Lean and Six Sigma, which she had codified through her certifications, including a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Role: R&D Expert, Project Manager.
From 2015
to 2016
Scope: The “Lähiruoasta uutta liiketoimintaa” (From local food creating new businesses – local street food) Project put in evidence Löytty initial foray into the food sector, which was focused on creating a new business model for local food suppliers at events. This project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), marks a key turning point, as it allowed her to apply her expertise in process design and collaborative networks to the specific challenges of the food economy. The success of this initiative, which led to the creation of a network of local businesses operating under the ‘Läheltä lautaselle’ (From local to the plate) concept, provided the practical experience and proof of concept for her subsequent work on a larger scale.
Role: R&D Expert, Project Manager.
From 1984 to 2002
Scope: Sandvik Mining and Construction Finland Oy, Lännen Tehtaat Oy, Finland. For these companies Löytty has managed finance, procurement, inventory, and logistics processes in investment project business. Led projects on e-business strategy and electronic invoicing. IT design and development.
Role: Controller, Project Manager, Procurement Manager, IT and R&D Expert.
PUBLICATION
Löytty’s extensive body of publications on platforms like ResearchGate and Google Scholar provides tangible evidence of her expertise and commitment to knowledge dissemination. Her publications are not theoretical academic papers but are direct reports on her project work and research findings. The publication on recycling agricultural plastic waste in Finland, for example, is a detailed blueprint for a real-world problem and its solution. Similarly, her articles on IoT-enabled composters and rural-urban interaction are based on her direct involvement in the Cities2030 and PoliRuralplus projects.
Her company website, Smart & Lean Hub Oy, further reinforces this commitment, serving as a platform for disseminating project news and updates that she has authored. This practice of translating her practical work into shareable, codified knowledge is a hallmark of a true domain expert. It ensures that the solutions developed in one context can be studied, adapted, and applied in others, amplifying the impact of her work far beyond the scope of a single project.
EDUCATION
2000
Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology.
1984
Bachelor of Engineering in Process Engineering, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences.
LANGUAGES
- Finnish: Mother tongue.
- English: Proficient user, working daily in an English-speaking environment.