Lyckeby's FY26 report: starch output up, Scope 1 emissions rise in Sweden
Swedish potato starch group Lyckeby published its ninth sustainability report on 2 Nov 2026, covering Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. Starch output rose in Sweden and Czechia, growers added about 3,000 hectares, and Scope 1 emissions climbed to 9,115 tonnes CO2e in 2025. The group targets a 42% cut in Scope 1+2 emissions by 2030.
Why it matters
Lyckeby is expanding potato starch volumes at a time when buyers increasingly ask for product-level carbon data, and its own figures show emissions rising with output. The roughly 3,000 extra hectares of starch potatoes point to more raw material for European native and modified starch supply. The new SBTi-aligned targets set a benchmark other starch processors will be compared against.
Lyckeby Group, the Swedish farmer-owned cooperative that processes starch potatoes in southern Sweden and the Czech Republic, released its FY26 sustainability report on 2 Nov 2026 (Lyckeby news). The report, its ninth, covers 1 Sep 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 and was prepared with the EU CSRD and ESRS standards as a guide.
How much is the starch business growing?
According to the FY26 report, starch production increased in both Sweden and Czechia during 2025/26. CEO Hans Holmstedt writes that starch production will rise by around 30% over the year and that the cooperative's growers have expanded their potato area by about 3,000 hectares to support it. The cooperative has about 600 members, around 450 of them active starch potato growers. The group employs about 540 people and has turnover of about SEK 3.3 billion.
What happened to emissions?
Scope 1 emissions reached 9,115 tonnes CO2e in 2025, up from 7,624 tonnes in 2024, mainly from LPG and natural gas used in production. Location-based Scope 2 emissions rose to 6,167 tonnes from 5,605 tonnes, driven largely by electricity use at the Czech operation. The company links the increase partly to higher production volumes. About 98% of Scope 1 and 2 emissions come from starch production. Scope 3, mostly purchased goods and transport, totaled 152,458 tonnes CO2e (2024 data).
What are the targets?
Lyckeby revised its base year to 2024 and set 2030 targets aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative: a 42% cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, a 25% cut in non-FLAG Scope 3, and a 30% reduction in FLAG Scope 3 (19% from reductions, 11% from removals). The Swedish starch operation, certified to ISO 50001, aims to save an average of 1 GWh of energy a year. The Nöbbelöv plant targets a 7% cut in water use in native starch production in 2026/27 against 2024/25. In Czechia, potato fiber goes to nearby biogas plants; in Sweden, fruit juice and surplus process water return to fields as fertilizer and irrigation.
Key numbers
| Figure | Value | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion of contracted potato area | 3,000 hectares (about) | 2 Nov 2026 | Source |
| Planned increase in starch production | 30 percent (about) | 2 Nov 2026 | Source |
| Scope 1 emissions, 2025 | 9,115 tonnes CO2e | 2025 | Source |
| Scope 1 emissions, 2024 | 7,624 tonnes CO2e | 2024 | Source |
| Scope 2 (location-based) emissions, 2025 | 6,167 tonnes CO2e | 2025 | Source |
| Scope 3 emissions | 152,458 tonnes CO2e | 2024 | Source |
| Scope 1+2 reduction target by 2030 (base 2024) | 42 percent | 2 Nov 2026 | Source |
| Active starch potato growers | 450 growers (about) | 2 Nov 2026 | Source |
| Group turnover | 3.3 SEK billion (about) | 2 Nov 2026 | Source |
Sources
- Vår senaste hållbarhetsrapport är här · Lyckeby (company announcement)
- Hållbarhetsredovisning FY26 · Lyckeby Group (company announcement)