Industrial Biotechnology Companies Receive Green Chemistry Awards

“Industrial biotechnology is already being used to produce products for the home that are cleaner and safer for the environment, require less energy for manufacturing and lower production costs,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section. “BIO congratulates our members who have been recognized through the Presidential Green Chemistry Awards for their pioneering advances in applying industrial biotechnology to manufacturing. Their achievements show that more widespread adoption of industrial biotechnology processes can help establish a new path for sustainable economic growth and job creation, without continued reliance on foreign oil.”

Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. received a Small Business Award for producing high-performing, renewable specialty chemicals at advantageous costs. Elevance employs Nobel-prize-winning catalyst technology to produce novel, high-performance renewable specialty chemicals for many uses that combine the benefits of both petrochemicals and biobased chemicals. The technology consumes significantly less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to petrochemical technologies.

Codexis, Inc. received a Greener Synthetic Pathways Award for an efficient biocatalytic process to manufacture simvastatin, a leading drug for treating high cholesterol. The previous multistep method for producing simvastatin was wasteful and used large amounts of hazardous reagents. Codexis optimized the chemical process to greatly reduce hazard and waste, be more cost-effective and meet the needs of customers.