Short agro-industrial chains for bioproducts: Novamont and Coldiretti sign strategic agreement

Novara – Rome, 23 January 2015 – “A project to establish an agricultural sector which respects the region, which enhances the value of abandoned and unirrigated land in order to feed into the first integrated biorefinery model in the region. It will be in synergy with the food production chain and centred on high value-added products which can reduce and replace higher-impact raw materials sourced from further afield.” This is the core of the agreement signed by Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont and Matrìca (a 50/50 joint venture between Novamont and Versalis), Roberto Moncalvo, chairman of Coldiretti, and Mauro Tonello, chairman of Consorzi Agrari d’Italia (CAI), for the creation of innovative agro-industrial chains to create short-chain biolubricants and bioplastics.

In particular, the agreement involves the spread among Coldiretti farmers of cardoon, a low-input crop which can grow on arid lands unsuitable for traditional crops and which does not require irrigation. It generates protein flour for animal feed and other raw materials for the production of low environmental impact products, creating a strong synergy with the Matrìca biorefinery in Porto Torres, in Sardinia. These plants make use of technology developed by Novamont through which agricultural raw materials and plant waste are used to produce a range of chemical products (biochemicals, bio-intermediaries, monomers for the production of bioplastics, bases for biolubricants and bioadditivies for rubber) employing innovative low-impact processes.

“If we are to emerge from this crisis it will not be sufficient to develop innovative technologies and install facilities in the regions: we need a new regional development model based on shared projects which can introduce the concepts of a circular economy and continuous innovation, facilitating contributions from willing participants with good ideas, and creating a climate of collaboration and respect between different participants, which is the necessary foundation for any lasting project. The agreement with Coldiretti and Consorzi Agrari d’Italia (CAI) is an important step in this direction,” said the Novamont CEO, Catia Bastioli.

“This collaboration will provide a new income stream for farmers operating in more challenging conditions by introducing a crop that makes it possible to reduce imports of plant proteins for animal feedstock, while also obtaining innovative products with a low environmental impact, confirming our country’s great creative potential”, said Coldiretti chairman Roberto Moncalvo. He added that “the spread of technologies that respect the region and make use of its distinctive characteristics and potential is the way to ensure Italy can achieve sustainable development.”

Under the terms of the agreement:

1. the Filiera Agricola Italiana (F.A.I.) company will promote the cultivation of cardoon in Sardinia and enhance its agricultural and environmental value through contracts specifying, among other things, advance payments to farmers to cover expenses for the first two years and a guaranteed income;

2. a programme will be established for the management of post-harvest stocks, following suitable studies, while the network of CAI consortiums will sell products created through industrial processing;

3. research projects will be developed through new European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) centred on rural development, in collaboration with the principal stakeholders;

4. support will be provided for bioplastics which are over 50% renewable by
integrated chains. This will involve promoting the re-use of biodegradable carrier bags for separate collection of organic waste, the use of compost in farming to counteract desertification and the use of film for agricultural mulching.

About Novamont

Novamont is the leading company in the development and production of materials and biochemicals through the integration of chemistry, the environment and agriculture. With 370 employees (approx. 20% employed in R&D), it registered a turnover of €136 million in 2013 and made continuous investments in research and development activities (6.2% of its 2013 turnover). It has a portfolio of around 1,000 patents. It has its headquarters in Novara, a production facility in Terni and research laboratories in Novara, Terni and Piana di Monte Verna (CE).
Novamont has subsidiaries in Porto Torres (SS), Bottrighe (RO), Terni and Patrica (FR). It has commercial offices in Germany, France and the United States and operates through its own distributors in Benelux, Scandinavia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

About Coldiretti

Coldiretti is a growing organisation which has expanded its representation from individual farms to cooperatives, from the agricultural sector to the fishing industry, from traditional farming to the agri-foodstuffs sector together with the farms, markets and shops of the Campagna Amica and the Italian Agricultural Production Chain project [Filiera Agricola tutta Italiana]. Coldiretti represents 1.5 million members and the absolute majority of Italian agricultural companies, making it the leading organisation of farmers in Italy and across Europe. It has widespread representation throughout Italy: 20 regional federations, 97 inter-provincial and provincial federations, 724 Area Offices and 5,668 municipal departments. The organisation is present in almost every municipality in Italy.