Starch: A key ingredient in decarbonization

According to the “EU Starch Industry Decarbonization Roadmap” (Starch Europe), the use of starch in paper & board may contribute to achieving a climate neutral Europe. Specifically, the increased recycling of paper/cardboard and replacement of traditional plastic with paper may be difficult without the use of starch and starch-based solutions. They are also valid alternatives to fossil-based ingredients (e.g., latex, polyvinyl alcohol etc.) used for today’s paper production. 

Back in October 2022, the European starch industry announced an aspiration to lowering greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (Scope 1 and 2) by 25% per ton of starch produced, between 2019 and 2030. This sets a higher bar vs. the 19% reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of starch already achieved by the industry between 2009 and 2019 (EU Starch Industry Decarbonisation Roadmap). 

Responding to today’s sustainability needs

At Cargill we are targeting a reduction of GHG at our operations (Scope 1 and 2) of 10% by 2025 and 30% per ton of product sold by 2030 in our supply chain (Scope 3). Meeting our climate commitments requires that we reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which result from the company’s direct operations and from energy purchased from the grid, respectively. As of 2023, we have reduced emissions from our operations by 15.8% – exceeding our goal to reduce our absolute operational GHG emissions by 10% by 2025. We continue to progress toward our Scope 3 emissions reduction goal by focusing on the supply chains and regions where we have the most potential for impact. Meaningful investments have been made in technology, processes, and resources that will allow us to scale our efforts and reduce Scope 3 emissions. All of our EU starch plants are ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certified, on the back of both completed and ongoing projects focusing on process modification. These include our efforts in electrification and green power purchase agreements.

Cargill is working to develop lifecycle analysis (LCA) data. From a supply chain perspective, one of the focus areas is on reducing our emissions linked to transportation. We are always looking for ways to optimize payload to reduce inbound deliveries e.g., by shifting road transportation to rail or short sea connections and using biofuels.

More sustainable sourcing of European raw materials is also a key pillar within Cargill’s sustainability initiatives. Today over 45% of our sourced raw materials (corn and wheat) are certified through the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) or equivalent benchmark scheme.

But we are not stopping there. We are aware that Starch Europe’s recent LCA study indicates that most of the environmental footprint of starch occurs at farm level (77% of the total). In order to help mitigate climate change, regenerate soil, and improve water use we strongly believe that regenerative agriculture is the way to go. Sustainably managed soils play an important role in pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it and, consequently, healthy soils can help protect and improve water quality, helping to ensure clean, and healthy water resources. For this reason, Cargill has developed a voluntary, market-based regenerative agriculture program (Cargill RegenConnect^®) which helps farmers improve soil health and decarbonize the agricultural supply chain. Building on two years of success in North America, Cargill recently launched RegenConnect^® in Europe and is now expanding the program.

In short, starch could not only contribute to a climate neutral Europe as reported in the “EU Starch Industry Decarbonization Roadmap” from Starch Europe, but should also have an improved environmental footprint based on the clear commitment from the starch industry to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions and thanks to specific Cargill programs (see our Cargill RegenConnectTM) targeting the reduction of the environmental impact at farm level (Scope 3).

Celebrating an unsung sustainability star

Starch is an unsung star in paper & board production, with on-trend solutions performing throughout your paper trail. At Cargill, we’re focusing on improving the sustainability profile of the production process and supply chain, sourcing of corn and wheat according to certain sustainability criteria and the development of new starch-based solutions as alternatives to oil-derived raw materials. The combination of these factors could all potentially contribute to help reduce the environmental impact as we move further on a decarbonization roadmap in Europe.