Amyris supports “urgent action” for climate change at COP27

16 Nov 2022 --- Amyris led a discussion on climate-positive consumption to address the global climate crisis at the COP27 summit in Egypt, which ends today. The company aims to redefine the production process for chemical ingredients.

“We stand for a novel technology that is better for the planet,” says Beth Bannerman, chief engagement and sustainability officer at Amyris.

Meanwhile, at the conference, the US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, called for the private sector to take the lead in decarbonization initiatives to control the planet’s temperature increase.

“If we’re going to keep 1.5 degrees alive – and that is our goal – we have an enormous challenge ahead of us to bring to scale new technologies and to harness the competent capacity of the private sector and entrepreneurs, to bring them to the table,” says Kerry.

Democratizing environmental sustainability
At the conference, Bannerman moderated a panel discussion with industry pioneers who challenged the status quo and opened up new perspectives on how the private sector can democratize sustainability and establish a systems approach to move beyond Net Zero and toward climate-positive consumption.

The UN stated that a radical increase in international ambition is needed to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.“Most people don’t give much thought to the production processes behind the ingredients that go into all the products we use every day, from what we put on our bodies, like shampoo and skincare or even what we take into our bodies, like the sweetener in our coffee or more importantly, vaccines,” Bannerman explains.

“The reason it matters is because nearly 60% of the global inputs into our everyday products are made from petroleum-based chemistry,” she continues. “It‘s not great news for natural products either – harvesting those natural resources causes several environmental issues from deforestation to the destruction of wildlife habitats, including marine life in the ocean.”

Over the past ten years or so, companies from a variety of sectors in the private sector have pushed the envelope in several ways, including sourcing raw materials, developing new markets and business models and looking into how to increase the value of the environment in supply chains.

Production standards
According to Amyris, manufacturing methods haven’t changed much in at least a century. Combined with the rising temperature, the strain on natural resources has never been more significant.

“The conditions are right for real change. As we don’t see human consumption behaviors slowing down, Amyris’ work redefining the way chemical ingredients are made is not only essential, it’s exciting. We want to shift the world to sustainable consumption,” details Bannerman.

The World Economic Forum notes that climate adaptation will be a US$2 trillion market by 2026.Jenny Davis-Peccoud, chief sustainability officer at Bain & Company, highlighted research demonstrating that climate-positive consumption is feasible as more companies exhibit a new way of thinking about product development, design and pricing to assist customers in making better decision selections.

“If Unilever can get us to switch from soap to shower gel, I think we can fully appreciate the power of consumer goods companies to shape what it is we do and buy. If we can turn that power to sustainable consumption, I’m convinced that [the challenge of scaling climate-positive consumption] is possible,” she says.

The need for change
The UN stated that there is “no credible pathway” to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C without a radical increase in international ambition.

“This is a moment for a global epiphany. It is not time for moral cowardice and reckless indifference to the future of humanity,” says Al Gore, former US VP and the founder of The Climate Reality Project.

According to a report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other reports by watchdog non-profits, the world is falling short of its climate pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster resilience, adapt to climate impacts and finance climate investments in developing countries. Gore’s call for “urgent action” has become a significant theme at this year’s COP.

The World Economic Forum notes that climate adaptation will be a US$2 trillion market by 2026, which the private sector cannot afford to ignore, with first movers gaining a distinct competitive advantage.

Responding to the conference’s call for urgent action, each panelist shared additional insights and examples of initiatives their companies have launched in the hope that attendees, both in person and virtually, would be inspired to reconsider their product development, design, supply chain and alliances.

By Nicole Kerr