Starch Europe gears up for bright industry future

Starch has been used as a versatile material since antiquity, but its wide range of benefits aren’t always clear to an untrained eye. That’s where Starch Europe comes in, championing the interests of the starch industry to EU institutions – picking up the baton from Pliny the Elder and carrying it straight into the halls of Parliament.

The Managing Director of Starch Europe, Jamie Fortescue, took a circuitous route to the starch industry. Hailing from a family of diplomats, Fortescue cut his teeth lobbying for Mars, Inc and employment agencies – eventually landing a job as Director General of Spirits Europe. Eight years later, in 2012, he was offered a position as Managing Director of Starch Europe.

Much of the work, he says, revolves around agreeing on positions within the 30 member companies – then communicating that position to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Member States. He spoke to the Bridge about going to bat for starch, their latest sustainability efforts, and his outlook on the future of the industry.

Advocating starch in the halls of European power

When we spoke, Fortescue had just returned from the association’s Starch Europe Conference 2023, held every year in mid-November. The subject this time had been plant-based proteins –the EU Commission’s last protein resolution was from 2018, and due for an update.

“Our aim there was to explain the importance of the processing step and that plant-based proteins don't only come from soybeans and leguminous crops – they also come from the crops that our member companies process. We wanted to make sure the mistakes from 2018 were not repeated. I like to believe that it was a success, but let's see what the strategy says in 2024.”

Year-round, Starch Europe courts a wide range of issues such as this – championing starch-positive policies that revolve around innovation, rural representation, and sustainability-related issues –including plant-based food and the circular, bio-based economy. But 2024 is an election year, which means much of the focus will be on educating the incoming MEPs.

“We're looking at a slightly different makeup of Parliament next year, but our long-term themes certainly won't disappear. The normal ongoing work around pesticide and mycotoxin levels will continue, and there'll be an ongoing emphasis on trade deals. There's also a lot of discussion about government support for industry, during these challenging times.”

With a new Parliamentary makeup, precisely where the lens of Starch Europe’s policy goals will align with political will is a bit up in the air. But there are no plans to throw the breaks on –environmental and bio-based economy issues will continue to be key in Starch Europe’s agenda.

Ambitious sustainability targets demand co-operation and new technologies

The starch industry was a pioneer in providing regular LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments) of its carbon footprint. From the beginning, getting each member company on the same page regarding methodology was critical. According to Fortescue, this was done to ensure consistent results among companies in the sector, as well as to allay any question of greenwashing.

“I think we spotted, perhaps earlier than others, that making this a competitive issue based on each company using different methodologies was going to be a dangerous situation. We all agreed that we should have a common methodology, done by third parties, and come up with a sector figure.”

Come what may in the 2024 elections, the association will continue to work closely with the EU on its Green Deal – an ambitious slate of policy initiatives committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. To that end, Starch Europe both updated its LCA and published its own decarbonisation road map in 2022.

“One of the main Green Deal objectives is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, and we set out a road map committing to reduce our own CO2 emissions by 25% between 2019 and 2030. In essence, every five or six years we update the sector's LCA study. And with that we want to communicate that we’ve made some progress – but we're challenging ourselves to continue that progress going forward.”

This year’s LCA study revealed a 19% reduction in CO2 emissions between 2009 and 2019.

Starch Europe’s steady hand at the negotiating table. Significant investment in NGTs will not come until there is certainty about to what extent it will be allowed in the EU. This, says Fortescue, is well on the way in the form of an EU Commission proposal – but if it’s not finalised by the time EU elections take place, it could get stuck in the system and re-evaluated by the new Parliament.

If that happens, it’s anyone’s game.

What’s next for starch in Europe?

As for the future of starch, Fortescue doesn’t shy from admitting the past few years have been challenging – from a global pandemic to geopolitical instability and soaring energy costs – but highlights starch’s versatility and necessity as reasons for optimism.

Their next goal is a rigorous one, which they plan to support by regular monitoring, a mid-way progress report, and an independently conducted LCA study in 2031.

“In terms of GHG emissions, we can only control what happens in our own plants. But we’ve also committed to working closely with our suppliers. 75% of our environmental footprint happens before the crops even get to our factories.”

Over the next few years, cutting down on agricultural emissions will require working closely with farmers on emerging techniques and technologies, such as regenerative agriculture – which aims to improve soil quality and increase carbon sequestration.

“Large food customers are pushing hard on making sure their supply chain is coming from regenerative agriculture. Five or six years down the line these changes will make production more efficient and less expensive, but there will be an up-front cost. We need to work with the farmers in terms of how they should be compensated for that.”

Another key developing technology are new genomic techniques (NGTs), which can be used to introduce and propagate genetic improvements to crops faster and more accurately. This enables precise changes to be made in the genetic makeup of crops, for example, to make them more resilient to particular climate conditions – or more resistant to pathogens.

“It’s critical that the farmers get access to the technologies they need for a green transition. And that's where the whole discussion around new genomic techniques becomes very important. If you look at potatoes, for example, my members tell me that with the proper access to CRISPR-Cas technology they could reduce pesticide needs by up to 75%. This type of technology is precisely what the farmer needs to hit some of the targets that have been set.”

But again, a positive outcome for the starch industry requires

“I think people will increasingly need starch – particularly in non-food applications, as starch is a renewable raw material which can be a very good alternative to fossil based raw materials in many products. On the food and proteins side, I think this move to more plant-based diets is an opportunity for the sector. We’ve learned in the past few years how important we are to so many supply chains, and I think that's going to continue.” And how about the man himself – how does he feel about switching from spirits to starch, more than ten years on?

“Well, sometimes it felt a lot easier when I was representing spirits – people understand what whiskey and cognac is! But starch is a great sector to represent. It's always very exciting hearing from the members how they're adapting to the changing needs of society. That's what makes this job so interesting.”

We’ll drink to that, Jamie.

European Starch Industry

EU farmers: 60,000

Production plants: 71

Jobs: 16,000

Raw materials: 25,000,000 tonnes

Starches & derivatives: 11,000,000 tonnes

Proteins & fibres: 5,000,000 tonnes

Starch Europe

Staff: 6

Members: 30, associate members: 6

Budget: 1,500,000 €

Jamie Fortescue

Nationality: British-Belgian

Title: Managing Director, Starch Europe

Education: Eton College & University of East Anglia any may know Anora as the leading brand house for wines and spirits in the Nordic countries. And if not, the name Koskenkorva will strike a familiar note in the hearts and minds of Finns, at least. The company's range stretches from alcoholic beverages and industrial ethanols to the production of raw material for feedstuffs and barley starches – these latter passing through Chemigate and on to the paper and board industry.

MAnora is Chemigate's trusted starch supplier.

The firm is now investing heavily in regenerative agriculture, an initiative meant to ensure the supply of raw material while contributing to its overarching objectives for sustainability and environmental wellbeing.

The core of Anora's international operations lies in Koskenkorva, in Ilmajoki. “The Koskenkorva plant is the crown jewel around which Anora is built,” states Kari Kiltilä, Category Sourcing Manager, Barley. Kiltilä arrived on the scene in 2007, bringing with him 19 years of experience and expertise in grain procurement for the feed industry.

“The Koskenkorva plant, and its efficient use of raw materials, is also at the

Text: Jenga core of our carbon neutrality strategy,” adds Jukka Sala , five-year Sales Director at Anora and key contact person for Chemigate.

Growth conditions indicate a need for corrective action

Anora's contract farmers are valuable partners, too. Their most acute challenges are related to weather and soil conditions. The scourges of farming – dry early summers, June heat waves, and high humidity during harvest – are becoming more common as climate change progresses.

Kiltilä also cites 1980s agricultural policies as context for current problems. At that time, as livestock and dairy production shifted further north, the focus in southern Finland was primarily on bread and feed grain production. As a consequence, crop rotation became less diverse. This caused the amount of live- stock manure and other organic matter in the soil to decrease, which lead to a decline in soil fertility.

“Average barley yields, for example, have stagnated since 2010. Although plant breeding has produced better cultivars, their yield potential has not been realised,” states Kiltilä.

Natural processes breathe life into the soil

Regenerative agriculture offers a solution to weather condition and soil problems. Regenerative agriculture means improving soil growth conditions by revitalising the soil and water ecosystem and optimising nutrient cycling. In addition to improving yields, this method contributes to biodiversity, water conservation and carbon sequestration. This benefits not only farmers and industry, but also the environment and climate.

The principles of regenerative farming include diversifying crop rotation, increasing year-round crop cover, rotational grazing, and minimising tillage.

“The key is to improve drainage and increase the amount of organic matter and nutrients. Ideally, livestock manure should be used. Additionally, the land is tilled less, with the aim to keep the crop in the field as long as possible – even throughout the year,” says Kiltilä.

Anora requires true crop rotation in its contract production: “When barley is sown, or afterwards, a catch crop is added to the crop as a rootstock. This allows it to grow after the barley is threshed and produce greenery in the field until the end of the growing season.”

Contract farmers in tune with the needs of the soil

Anora is methodically training its contract farmers in regenerative agriculture to increase the share of regeneratively farmed barley in their production. This operating model was presented at a farmers' event in Seinäjoki in 2020.

“There was a lot of public talk at the time about forests and carbon sinks. Regenerative agriculture was largely associated with coal, which farmers perceived as negative. We decided to approach the issue from their point of view, that is, improving the growth condition of the soil. Coming from that perspective, the message was better received,” says Kiltilä. Farmers have also been motivated by the fact that many of those who have tried it have seen results in just 2-4 years.

Anora also studied regenerative agriculture in the Carbon Action project, led by the Baltic Sea Action Group. The project also inspired a product idea, leading Anora to launch the world's first vodka made from regeneratively cultivated barley, Koskenkorva Climate Action, in spring 2021.

“That means you can improve soil fertility and Baltic Sea conditions by drinking regenerative Koskenkorva,” Sala jokes.

“Yes. It's a climate action,” Kiltilä laughs.

Moving towards sustainability

The key stepping stones for regenerative agriculture are also reflected in Anora's sustainability roadmap, tying in seamlessly with the company's environmental goals. These include, for example, achieving carbon neutrality at the Koskenkorva plant by 2026. Anora is also aiming to be carbon neutral in all its production by 2030, with no emission credits and 30% of its grain-based spirits based on regeneratively grown barley.

In other words, their operation is guided by sustainability thinking – a message that Chemigate and the paper and board industry have also cultivated in their communications. At the same time, Anora wants to ensure that the Koskenkorva plant will have access to enough high-quality raw material – even if the environment changes.

“This also includes the commercialisation of regenerative farming and promoting its benefits for starch. We produce domestic starch sustainably and with respect for the environment – and that value chain continues in a sustainable way with Chemigate. The next step should be to get end-users to manufacture their own products in such a way that environmental thinking extends all the way to the end of the chain,” says Sala.

Although the sustainability chain still needs further development, Anora is holding up its end. Thanks to its location and effectiveness, as well as efficient logistics and transport, the Koskenkorva plant already outperforms, for example, natural gas power plants in Central Europe in terms of environmental performance. Regenerative farming is poised to increase the lead even further.

Fair, regenerative co-operation

When asked to describe Chemigate as a partner, both men break into big smiles –lending sincerity to the praise that follows.

“It's been great to see how well their organisation works, particularly the motivation, expertise and customer orientation of their sales team. This brings added value to our products, too. In addition to modification, Chemigate's portfolio also extends to native starch, allowing them to serve customers more broadly with all starchbased products,” says Sala.

“Chemigate is a good and important partner for us. And now they're also part of a broad, long-standing co-operation with Berner, which includes agricultural chemicals and crop protection agents. Together we can develop the whole ‘grain chain’, also taking carbon footprint reduction into account,” Kiltilä confirms.

“Shared management of the whole value chain is also in the interest of customers. We know each other well and work closely together in an open and transparent way, which lends itself to quick flexibility – for example when we need to handle customer feedback, make any necessary changes, or in quality assurance,” Sala continues.

Finally, the Sales Director notes that the close partnership is topped off by the proximity of Koskenkorva and Lapua: “We're practically within shouting distance of each other!”