Amyris sugars up sustainable fermentation plant with local bonds and supply-chain maneuvers

19 Jul 2022 --- Amyris has officially begun industrial production at its newest precision fermentation plant in Barra Bonita, Brazil. At the plant, the company genetically engineers yeast and ferments it with environmentally sustainable-sourced sugarcane to produce natural, high-performance molecules for skincare NPD.

The new facility has a production capacity of 1,440 cubic meters and five micro factories for various molecular manufacturing. Amyris began construction on the site in 2021 and rapidly completed one of the industry’s “most advanced” biomanufacturing plants. 

The facility can generate all 13 of the company’s chemicals, and its patented design allows for swift and seamless transitions from one molecule to another. Barra Bonita’s capacity is completely committed until the end of 2023, and the firm anticipates that demand for its sustainable and high-performance ingredients will stay robust.

Skincare products that have been fermented contain added microorganisms (bacteria), which produce enzymes that break down the components. Fruits, yeast and herbs can all be fermented to create skincare products. They become a serum, moisturizer or mask during the fermentation process.

Fruits, yeast and herbs can all be fermented to create skincare products.In comparison to products that include more chemicals, they are easily absorbed by the skin and contribute to greater results.

Keeping it locally sweet
Barra Bonita is home to the world’s second-largest sugar mill and with sugarcane as their feedstock source, Amyris has established long-standing relationships with the local organizations, including Raízen and Bonsucro.

Eduardo Alvarez, chief operating officer at Amyris explains that these continued partnerships have given the company insights into the local community and offered an important means for supporting people and protecting the land.

“As a result of our leadership in biotechnology and next-generation fermentation, Amyris has become one of the top employers in the region for offering jobs and competitive pay.”

“Throughout the construction process, we employed up to 1,000 contractors and we plan to employ around 150 employees as full-time staff for the site, as well as about 100 employees from Campinas to support operations,” he continues.

Speeding-up supply chains
Regarding the differences Amyris’ partners and customers can expect to experience as a result of this new plant, Alvarez elucidates that the Barra Bonita plant greatly reduces the company’s production timelines as they now have full control over their supply chains – an issue industry has struggled with recently.

“We anticipate faster times to market and reduced complications when moving from pilot to manufacturing scale. This has huge potential for the scale and speed at which we manufacture our existing products, bring new innovations to market and support our partners’ goals.”

He further elaborates that the company believes this faster retailing capability will move the goalposts for the industry and raise the bar for what’s possible with synthetic biology.

“As one of the few companies with our own pilot plant facility, we’ve long believed that investing in owned, in-house facilities is the best route for rapid, seamless and effective biomanufacturing at scale,” says Alvarez.The new facility has a production capacity of 1,440 cubic meters and five micro factories.

Substantially sustainable
Alvarez further explains that the plant will bring many benefits for Amyris but he stresses that the environmental impact is more significant than the company’s own gains.

Alvarez explains that the new site will allow the company “to produce and finish products all within the same location, which greatly cuts down [the company’s] carbon footprint associated with shipping ingredients across the world during the production process.”

“Additionally, the new plant is strategically located next to the Raízen sugar mill – one of the largest sugar mills in the world – to ensure a local, consistent, and sustainable feedstock supply that is Bonsucro certified. Further, electricity for the site is sustainably generated and we intend to use BioGas to further offset emissions in 2024,” he says.

He concludes that the company hopes to continue supporting sustainable and responsible growth in Barra Bonita and throughout Brazil, and asserts that he is “grateful for the opportunity” to work in that part of the world.

Edited by Mieke Meintjes

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