Recognition for plant-based nylon-6 development cements momentum on heels of $120M+ palm oil replacement initiative with Unilever and Kao
SAN DIEGO, California and LONDON (December 7, 2022) – Sustainable materials leader Geno (Genomatica) celebrated a prestigious award from chemical industry publication ICIS. This marks the third consecutive year Geno has won the ICIS Innovation Award, an impressive accomplishment recognizing the company’s technical progress work bringing sustainable materials to leading brands. The award win comes on the heels of significant market momentum for Geno, including launching a $120M+ venture with Unilever and Kao that will use Geno’s technology to develop plant-based palm oil alternatives to diversify supply chains while reducing carbon emissions up to 50%.
The ICIS Innovation Awards recognize and reward companies paving the way in product, process and digital innovations that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability in chemistry. This year, Geno won the award for Best Product Innovation from a SME, honoring the company’s advances developing new plant-based nylon-6 to slash greenhouse gas emissions from textiles, films and plastics. Last year, Geno won the ICIS Innovation Award for Process with the Best Benefit to the Environment and Sustainability and won Best Sustainable Process in 2020. Eric Alvarez, Geno’s senior business development manager, accepted the 2022 award at a ceremony in London.
“Geno’s mission is to accelerate this transition with breakthrough technology that can scale to meet soaring consumer demand for responsibly sourced products and play a meaningful role in combating climate change,” said Geno CEO Christophe Schilling. “This award for our nylon solutions is a testament to our vast technical talent that has set a new bar for delivering breakthrough innovations that are remaking the products we use every day — from cosmetics to carpets.”
About Geno
Geno is harnessing biology to remake everyday products and materials built by and for the planet. We believe that all products should be responsibly sourced, traceable and transparent — the sustainable source™. In response to the urgent climate crisis, Geno has spent the last 20 years developing and scaling sustainable materials derived from plant-or waste-based feedstocks instead of from fossil fuels. Geno’s technology drives sustainable materials and ingredients that are the foundation of such products as cosmetics, carpets, home cleaners, apparel and more.
The company has recently closed several major deals to commercialize sustainable materials, and is on a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in upcoming years. Additional recent partnerships include scaling plant-based nylon with partners Aquafil and Asahi Kasei, partnering with lululemon to bring plant-based materials into lululemon’s products, and a $120M+ venture with Unilever and Kao to commercialize a sustainable palm oil alternative.
To learn more, visit genomatica.com.
Media Contact
Jessica Shapow, [email protected], +1.908.770.0659