Starch Europe Publishes Results of 2022 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Study

— PRESS STATEMENT —

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brussels, Belgium 13 April 2022 – Starch Europe, the association of European Starch producers, today announced the publication of the results of their 2022 sector-wide Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) study.

“With this publication, we uphold a significant tradition, which we have been maintaining for decades already. Starch producers were among the first European sectors to conduct sector-wide LCA studies, starting more than 20 years ago” said Christophe Rupp-Dahlem, Starch Europe President. “The breadth and depth of our studies have evolved over time, and we are proud to publish the results of this LCA study today, as our broadest and most comprehensive study to date.”

“Together with the study we are publishing updated Product Category Rules (PCRs) for our products. We strongly support a harmonized EU approach on Life Cycle Analysis and will always endeavour to comply with the most recently available Product Environmental Footprint methodology.”

He added “The first key take-away from today’s LCA study results is the fact that the industry as a whole has managed to lower their CO2 emissions by 7% overall, and, when taking into account production increases, 19% per tonne of dry substance (DS) since 2009. This should be regarded as a solid achievement, and a testament to starch producers’ continuous efficiency and innovation efforts across the board.”

“The agricultural supply chain remains the largest contributor to our products’ overall environmental footprint, accounting for 77,6% of its impact. Starch Europe members are committed to continuing their work alongside farmers to further reduce emissions from cultivation of agriculture raw materials and support the adoption of more sustainable agriculture practices, while continuing to strengthen the efforts that have already yielded the emissions reductions we’ve seen.”

Jamie Fortescue, Managing Director of Starch Europe added. “Demand for our industry’s ingredients has increased significantly over the past decade, thanks in large part to the critical role our industry’s ingredients play in helping our customers lower their environmental impact. Our plant-based proteins and fibres make diets healthier and more sustainable. Our ingredients contribute to the reduction of food waste by prolonging shelf-life of food and drink products. We serve as renewable alternatives to fossil-based ingredients in industrial applications, such as plastics, paints and detergents, and paper and cardboard can not be recycled without starch.”

“In the months ahead, European starch producers across member states will study and discuss, both individually and as a sector, how best the industry can continue to improve environmental performance in our own plants. Strong progress has clearly been made in the last decade and indeed prior to that, but there is still room for further improvement. We are confident of being able to play our role in helping to reach the ambitions of EU carbon neutrality in 2050.”

Below, you will find links to download the complete 2022 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Summary Report, as well as Product Category Rules (PCRs) for Starch products and a Summary of Methodology to understand how this Life Cycle Analysis was conducted.

Click to Download:

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Contacts:

Jamie Fortescue – Managing Director – jamie.fortescue@starch.eu

Andreas Delvaux – Head of Communications – andreas.delvaux@starch.eu

April 13, 2022