Consumer Products Made with Industrial Biotechnology

Consumer Old Manufacturing New Industrial Biotech

Climate Benefits Consumer Benefit
Product Process Process

Bread Potassium bromate, a Genetically enhanced • Reduces CO2 • High-quality bread

suspected cancer-causing
agent at certain levels,
added as a preservative
and a dough strengthening
agent
microorganisms produces emissions in grain • Longer shelf life
baking enzymes to production, milling • Eliminates
• Enhance rising and baking and suspected
• Strengthen dough transportation carcinogen
• Prolong freshness potassium
bromate

Vitamin B2 Toxic chemicals, such as
aniline, used in a nine step
chemical synthesis process
(hazardous waste
generated)
Genetically enhanced microbe • Up to 33% • Greatly reduces
developed for one-step reduction in energy hazardous waste
fermentation process, using use generation and
vegetable oil as a feedstock • 25% to 33% disposal
and sugar as nutrient reduction in CO2
emissions

Personal Care Chemical ingredients such
as propylene glycol and
butylenes glycol from
petroleum used as solvents
to mix ingredients
Genetically enhanced microbe
produces 1,3 propanediol
from renewable feedstocks,
which can function as a
solvent, humectant, emollient
or hand-feel modifier
• 20% reduction of • High purity
greenhouse gas • Environmentally
emissions compared sustainable and
to petroleum PDO renewable process
• Non-irritating for
sensitive skin
• Enhanced clarity

Cosmetics Mineral oil and petroleum
jelly from fossil sources
used as ingredients
Metathesis chemistry applied • Reduction of • Smoother, less
to convert renewable process greasy feel
vegetable oils to replacement temperatures • Semi-occlusive
ingredients • Low toxicity film former
products and • Enhanced hair-
byproducts care properties
Consumer Old Manufacturing New Industrial Biotech
Climate Benefits Consumer Benefit
Product Process Process

Detergent Phosphates added as a
brightening and cleaning
agent
Microbes or fungi genetically • Elimination of water • Brighter, cleaner
enhanced to produce biotech pollution due to clothes with lower
enzymes, which are added as phosphates wash temperature
brightening and cleaning • Energy savings
agents
• Protease enzymes
remove protein stains
• Lipases remove grease
• Amylases remove starch

Textiles New cotton textiles
prepared with chlorine or
chemical peroxide bleach
Use of biotech cellulose
enzymes to produce
peroxides
• allows low-temperature
bleaching of textiles, at
65°C, and
• at a neutral pH range
• 25% reduction in New fabrics have
greenhouse gases • lower impact on
• 25% reduction in the environment
non-renewable • better dyeing
energy use results
• a permanent soft
and bulky handle

Paper Wood chips are boiled in a
harsh chemical solution to
yield pulp for paper making
Wood bleaching enzymes • Reduces use of • Cost savings from
produced by genetically chlorine bleach and lower energy and
enhanced microbes to dioxins in the chemical use
selectively degrade lignin and environment
to break down wood cell walls
during pulping

Diapers Woven fabric coverings Bacillus microbe ferments • 50 to 70 % • Biodegradable.

made from petroleum- corn sugar to lactic acid, reduction in CO2 • End of life options
based polyesters which is heated to create a emissions include
biodegradable polymer for composting,
woven fabrics rather than
landfills
 Consumer Old Manufacturing New Industrial Biotech
Climate Benefits Consumer Benefit
Product Process Process

Carpet Nylon fibers made from Genetically enhanced microbe • 20% reduction of Fibers have
petroleum in a chemical produces 1,3 propanediol, greenhouse gas • durability,
reaction which is a building block for emissions compared elasticity and
other polymers such as Nylon to petroleum PDO softness
• permanent stain
and ultraviolet ray
resistance

Furniture Polyurethane foam Polyols (such as Cargill’s • 60% reduction of • Comparable

produced from petroleum BiOH or Dow’s Renuva) non-renewable quality and
derived from soy and other energy properties to
renewable feedstocks are • 23% reduction in polyurethane
chemically mixed with other total energy foam
ingredients to create a demand
flexible foam

Polyesters Polyester, a synthetic Bacillus microbe ferments • 75% reduction of PLA polyester
polymer fiber, produced corn sugar to lactic acid, CO2, compared to • is biodegradable
chemically from petroleum which is heated to create a PET • does not harbor
feedstock biodegradable polymer (such • 90% reduction of body odor like
as NatureWorks’ Ingeo) CO2 equivalent other fibers
compared to Nylon • does not give off
6 toxic smoke if
burned

Stone Washed Open pit mining of pumice. Fabric washed with biotech • Less mining • Softer fabric
Jeans Fabric washed with crushed enzyme (cellulases) to fade • Reduced energy • Lower cost
pumice stone and/or acid and soften jeans or khakis consumption
 Consumer Old Manufacturing New Industrial Biotech
Climate Benefits Consumer Benefit
Product Process Process

Synthetic Rubber Isoprene used in synthetic
rubber produced from
petroleum
Genetically enhanced
microorganisms ferment
BioIsoprene™ from sugars
derived from renewable
resources. BioIsoprene™
polymerized to synthetic
rubber and other elastomers
• Reduced use of • High purity and
petroleum low cost
• Predictable raw
material cost and
availability

Biofuels Petroleum is cracked and
distilled into gasoline and
byproducts, some of which
are flared into atmosphere
Novel enzymes convert • 16% to 128% fewer • Reduced volatility
starches and cellulose in greenhouse gas in raw material
biomass into sugars. emissions cost and
Genetically enhanced • Cleaner burning: availability
microbes convert sugars to a 30% fewer tailpipe • The ethanol
growing range of alcohols emissions of industry created
and esters nitrogen oxides and 240,000 domestic
carbon monoxide jobs in 2008

Fuel Ethanol Acid hydrolysis of starch Enzymatic hydrolysis of • Reduces use of • Lower fuel prices:
starch and cellulose chemicals and Without ethanol,
energy, toxic gas prices would
byproducts increase 14.6% in
• Ethanol reduces the short term
tailpipe emissions of and 3.7% long
benzene, a known term
carcinogen

Plastic Films Polyethylene made from
natural gas liquids
Chemical building blocks • 80% reduced use of • Comparable
fermented from sugar. Heat fossil energy quality and
processing and mixing • Plastics can be fully properties to
converts ethanol to a biodegradable or petroleum-based
polyethylene recyclable polyethylene
 Consumer Old Manufacturing
Product Process
Food Serviceware Polystyrene products based
on petroleum
Beverage Polyester, a synthetic
Packaging polymer fiber, produced
chemically from petroleum
feedstock
Food Packaging Polypropylene made from
petroleum
Plastic Containers Plastics (olefins and
styrenics) used for eating
utensils, beverage and food
containers, and personal
care products made from
petroleum
New Industrial Biotech
Climate Benefits Consumer Benefit
Process
Bacillus microbe ferments • 62% reduction in • Compostable
corn sugar to lactic acid, GHG emissions serviceware
which is heated to create a • 51 % reduction eliminates
biodegradable polymer (such in non-renewable contamination
as NatureWorks’ Ingeo) energy usage of food waste
with petro-
based plastics
Bacillus microbe ferments • 59% reduction in • Enables
corn sugar to lactic acid, GHG emissions feedstock
which is heated to create a • 47 % reduction recovery
biodegradable polymer (such in non-renewable (versus typical
as NatureWorks’ Ingeo) energy usage ‘downcycling’
that occurs with
existing PET-
based bottles)
Bacillus microbe ferments • reduced use of • Comparable
corn sugar to lactic acid, fossil energy quality and
which is heated to create a • Promotes long-term properties to
biodegradable polymer (such alternatives to litter petroleum-
as NatureWorks’ Ingeo) problems based
polypropylene
Naturally occurring microbial • 200% reduction in • Heat resistant
process genetically enhanced greenhouse gases • Compatible with
to produce • Reduces use of production
polyhydroxyalkanoates petroleum machinery, so no
(PHAs, such as Telles’ Mirel). • Biodegradable and increased cost
PHAs can also be grown in compostable
genetically engineered
switchgrass plants