Synbio: The Game Changer for Climate Tech
Written by: Erin Kim
Erin Kim (Team MIT 2020) is iGEM’s Ambassador Head for North America. She attended the 2021 IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Youth Summit as an iGEM Conference Fellow, facilitating the conversation between scientific innovation and nature conservation. Furthermore, after leading the WiSTEM Initiative Awareness Team in 2021, Erin currently also serves on the 2022 iGEM Headquarters Diversity and Inclusion Committee as its youngest member.
[Email: erin@igem.org // Social media account: Instagram @er1nmkim]
Recently, the United States government made an unprecedented investment in climate action: the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act). An analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund predicts that the IRA could translate $38.7 billion of direct federal spending into $385 billion of private sector investment in climate tech.
Legislation like the IRA is forming new climate tech ecosystems as companies are evolving to adopt more sustainable practices, and a new generation of startups is emerging. In the rapidly developing realm of climate tech, you’d be excited to hear that this field—using synthetic biology to tackle climate change—is on the rise.
As the study of life and our environment, biology is inextricably linked to climate change and therefore holds the key to addressing the biggest challenge of our generation. By engineering biology, we can move away from fossil fuel dependency, decrease agricultural emissions, repurpose land, and stop plastic pollution. Essentially, synbio climate tech strives to green every part of our daily lives.
I say this especially because the tides of climate change are turning. Thanks to climate awareness furthered by climate legislation like the IRA, grassroots advocacy, youth activism, and more, global citizens are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and mindful of where their everyday items come from. Consumers have started to recognize the sheer amount of our everyday items that come from petroleum, which has prompted them to search for alternatives that are more eco-friendly and manufactured with reduced greenhouse gases.
In this way, the applications of synthetic biology and bioengineering to climate change can revolutionize the climate movement on a whole new scale, impacting the largest markets in the world: food production, agriculture, clothing, fuels, plastics, industrial chemicals, etc.
One such company that is looking towards the future with a climate-centric mission is Ginkgo Bioworks. A biotech firm based in Boston and co-founded by Tom Knight, the father of iGEM and synthetic biology, Ginkgo has a long connection with iGEM. Dubbed “the organism company,” Ginkgo designs organisms for commercial use, develops yeast strains to produce fragrances, flavors, food, etc, and manufactures “living medicines,” all by engineering.
Ginkgo’s genomic database includes more than 135,000 bacterial strains, which have countless real-life applications in various fields; in addition to developing novel antibiotics and therapeutics, Ginkgo works on crop-colonizing microbes for sustainable agricultural practices. More recently, they are reimagining the food production system.
Ginkgo co-founder Reshma Shetty, an iGEMer, was one of the speakers at the 2019 iGEM Giant Jamboree!
Motif FoodWorks, powered by Ginkgo, creates meat, dairy, and plant-based proteins by fermentation instead of animal agriculture. Motif aims to make plant-based foods tastier while amplifying their health effects—possibly making them even more nutritious than conventional animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc). Ginkgo’s engineers screened 300+ animal proteins in order to identify candidates with the greatest benefit and have engineered novel expression systems to maximize protein expression.
Another company that is combatting the climate crisis through its newly engineered products is Genomatica. Targeting large-scale industries and processes in need of more sustainable solutions, Geno produces eco-friendly alternatives that can replace those made from fossil fuels. For instance, Geno is leading the transition of nylon—a giant $22 billion annual industry—from fossil fuels to plants and received Lululemon’s first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company.
To fight fossil fuel dependency, Geno aims to create sustainably sourced products of the same quality but with lower carbon impacts, compared to those that used fossil fuels. This has led to Geno developing innovative materials, such as leather made from pineapples and packaging made from mushrooms! Geno’s technology can reduce up to 90% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, saving the environment and consequently removing processes harmful to global health.
Furthermore, Geno hopes to extend its influence to other climate tech companies by maintaining transparency throughout its supply chain. Geno plans to launch an open-source hub that contains resources that guide other companies in strategically monitoring their supply-chain impacts.
Ginkgo and Geno are just two of many forward-thinking companies, but the best part of the climate tech industry is that there’s more to come! In an interview during the SOSV Climate Tech Summit, Bill Gates highlighted climate tech’s enormous potential.
“There will be eight Teslas, 10 Teslas,” Gates said. “There will be, you know, Microsoft, Google, Amazon-type companies that come out of this space.”
And that’s why I can’t wait to see what this year’s iGEM teams come up with. There’s a good chance that the next leaders in climate tech will be born from iGEM!
