impact
what we do
We believe products can be made in ways that protect the health of people and the planet. We’ve devised solutions to produce sustainable materials and ingredients that replace those made from fossil fuels or that require destructive land-use practices. As a result, everything from clothing to cosmetics and carpets to car parts and cleaning products can be made from plants with the same or better performance but lower carbon impacts, and in a manner that can provide genuine transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. We focus on large-scale industries and processes in need of more sustainable solutions. Our technology can cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 90% while also reducing or eliminating processes and practices that harm the health of people and communities. If you think about materials such as nylon — a $22 billion annual industry — shifting from fossil fuels to plants, that’s a big deal.
Much of the innovation efforts pursued by many regarding sustainable materials have been focused on developing novel materials — leather made from pineapples and packaging made from mushrooms. We love these innovations because our climate crisis is urgent and we need every solution and helping hand we can get; plus, they can make some cool new products often with novel performance. We have charted a different course, choosing to tackle the most commonly used materials, keeping them identical while replacing where they come from. Each material we make is put through a rigorous process to ensure we’re minimizing negative environmental impacts wherever possible. The outcome? Our Geno technology reduces GHGs from 46-90%. As a science-based company, we conduct comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for all of our technologies to credibly show carbon reductions. Our technology has the capacity to reduce 85M tons of carbon per year.
We believe products can be made in ways that protect the health of people and the planet. We’ve devised solutions to produce sustainable materials and ingredients that replace those made from fossil fuels or that require destructive land-use practices. As a result, everything from clothing to cosmetics and carpets to car parts and cleaning products can be made from plants with the same or better performance but lower carbon impacts, and in a manner that can provide genuine transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. We focus on large-scale industries and processes in need of more sustainable solutions. Our technology can cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 90% while also reducing or eliminating processes and practices that harm the health of people and communities. If you think about materials such as nylon — a $22 billion annual industry — shifting from fossil fuels to plants, that’s a big deal.
Much of the innovation efforts pursued by many regarding sustainable materials have been focused on developing novel materials — leather made from pineapples and packaging made from mushrooms. We love these innovations because our climate crisis is urgent and we need every solution and helping hand we can get; plus, they can make some cool new products often with novel performance. We have charted a different course, choosing to tackle the most commonly used materials, keeping them identical while replacing where they come from. Each material we make is put through a rigorous process to ensure we’re minimizing negative environmental impacts wherever possible. The outcome? Our Geno technology reduces GHGs from 46-90%. As a science-based company, we conduct comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for all of our technologies to credibly show carbon reductions. Our technology has the capacity to reduce 85M tons of carbon per year.
responsible
ingredients
1
Do you know where the materials you use every day come from? Supply chains can be complicated and companies often have little visibility about where their ingredients come from. We may know who makes the product and the materials in them, but we don't always know where the fossil feedstocks come from or whether the inputs come from destructive land practices. Furthermore, human rights abuses, such as forced labor, wage theft and human trafficking are common in secretive supply chains. Geno products move beyond renewables to prioritize people's health as well as the planet's through transparency, traceability and responsible sourcing.
transparency
2
For Geno, this is the critical first step in harnessing business as a force for good. For years we have studied the key risks companies face in their supply chains. We’ve learned that when ingredients are made smarter and sustainably, their negative impacts can be greatly reduced and supply chains can be more resilient. We plan to share our learnings in an open-source hub containing resources to help other companies strategically measure and monitor their supply-chain impacts.
traceability
3
We’re working to track ingredients from field or farm to finished goods through our partnership with Sourcemap, a blockchain company born out of the MIT Media Lab. We’re also working with independent auditors to ensure our raw materials, as well as ideally those that go into any manufacturing powered by Geno technologies, are responsibly sourced and we share these findings with our partners, NGOs and industry working groups.
responsible
sourcing
4
We believe in the dignity of everyone who works in our supply chains and that workers must be safe, paid a fair wage and treated with respect. We've created a responsible sourcing program designed to work with our partners worldwide to protect workers from human trafficking, forced labor, and slavery, and to ensure anti-bribery and anti-monopoly protections.
policy
advocacy
5
The market for products made using synthetic biology is projected to grow to several trillion by the end of the decade. Regulatory frameworks must keep pace with innovation, and Geno is advocating to accelerate the transition to more sustainable materials while fighting for policies that promote climate justice. For example, we are a founding member of the SynBio Coalition, a collective of leading biotechnology companies advocating for greater investment in sustainable manufacturing and ingredients in the United States. We believe that our technology is a key enabler for climate-resilient solutions, and we support bipartisan legislation that allows U.S.-based companies to innovate and compete domestically and abroad. As a company with an international footprint, our work also supports environmental and climate justice initiatives, taking into account the impact that manufacturing has on vulnerable populations around the world.
