Member Companies Driving the Latest Technologies in Sustainability for Life Science

In celebration of Earth Day this month, we’re highlighting Biocom California members that are advancing sustainability in life science in myriad ways. These innovations range from an eco-friendly fertilizer that reduces greenhouse gas emissions in large-scale agriculture to recycled plastics for lab supplies, better surfactants for laundry detergent and face wash, and the advancement of a new cell-cultured protein source for the dinner table.

To learn more about eco-friendly initiatives in life science, join our annual Earth Day Sustainability Reception in San Diego on April 18. We’re also celebrating green initiatives and technologies at our Earth Day Sustainability Panel and Happy Hour in the Bay Area on April 24. We hope to see you there!

Sowing the Seeds for Better Farming Practices

The development of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in the early 1900s was a game changer for industrial farming and improving crop productivity while lowering the price of food, but producing and using it can be costly for the environment. Today, chemical fertilizers account for more than one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the industry has been looking for more sustainable solutions. Pivot Bio developed a microbial nitrogen fertilizer—which the company says does not runoff into streams or contribute to climate pollution—that can be used for the large-scale growing of corn, wheat, sorghum, barley and other grains. The Bay Area-based company has research partnerships with Iowa State University, North Carolina State University and University of Illinois. A recent study by the University of Kentucky showed that replacing 40 pounds of synthetic nitrogen with Pivot Bio’s Proven 40 can increase corn yields while reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Corn plots treated with Proven 40 also yielded an average of 11 bushels per acre more than the control plots.

Lower-Carb Labs

The amount of single-use plastics employed in scientific research laboratories has been estimated to produce as much as 5.5 million tons of waste every year—all those gloves, pipettes and tubes can add up. Polycarbin, a Bay Area-based company, created a “closed loop” supply chain by offering life science companies low-carbon lab products made from 20 to 92 percent circular economy resin that can be remanufactured into new, high-quality lab products and diverted from landfills. The company offers a recycling mail-back service as well as the Carbin Counter, a carbon emission auditing platform.

Grants for Greener Initiatives

Nonprofits and community organizations based in San Diego that are involved in clean energy and sustainability projects have the opportunity to apply for a grant to further their work. The Community Clean Energy Grant Program, a partnership between the San Diego Foundation and San Diego Community Power—a public agency that serves 1 million customers in San Diego County—is awarding grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, totaling $1 million. “The Community Clean Energy Grant Program empowers local nonprofits to advance their work within energy education, electrification, and energy resilience,” San Diego City Council President Pro Tem and San Diego Community Power Board Chair Joe LaCava said in a release. “The successful launch of this program in 2023 has allowed San Diego Community Power to bring in new community partners and broaden the impact of this program on our region.” Prior grant recipients include the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation and the San Diego Green Building Council.

A Cleaner Slate

San Diego-based Geno is an innovator in developing sustainable alternatives to chemicals and materials that are traditionally derived from fossil fuels, such as its plant-based nylon that is used in everything from Lululemon’s clothing to car parts. The company recently teamed up with cosmetics and household cleaning products giants Unilever, L’Oréal and Kao in the Future Origins joint venture to commercialize and manufacture high-volume sustainable ingredients for surfactants in everyday products such as laundry detergent and face wash. The consortium recently completed a 63,000-liter pilot-scale fermentation that produced several tons of material, and a fraction of that material was further processed to make hundreds of kilograms of detergent alcohols. A release says this pilot program provides the critical data needed for the design of its first commercial plant, which is anticipated to start operations in less than five years.

What’s At Steak

Cell-cultured meat is a hot topic right now, especially in light of Upside Foods receiving both FDA and USDA approval to sell its lab-grown chicken cutlets to consumers. A host of other companies have cell-cultured salmon and ahi filets in the works, while Orbillion Bio is focused on a different protein source: cell-cultured high-end Wagyu beef. The Berkeley-based startup has a B2B model versus selling the product direct to consumers and has a predictive modeling platform to scaleup its bioprocessing methods. The company recently received another round of funding, bringing its total funding to $15 million.

Big Partnership

Kiverdi’s mission is inspired by NASA’s technology and life-support studies on how carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts could be captured by microbes and used as nutrients to be transformed into food. The company breaks down carbon into bio-based products and is developing what it says is the world’s first Air Protein, and has roughly 50 patents in total. The Bay Area-based company recently extended its partnership with Proctor & Gamble to create sustainable raw materials for P&G’s fabric and home care and beauty lines.