Climate change is a global issue that is frequently reported in the news. While reports often focus on the mitigation measures by nations and their global impacts, we sometimes overlook our individual contributions to the crisis.
Did you know that many activities and choices we make result in carbon emissions? While each of us contributes only a small amount, the cumulative impact of over eight billion people in the world is substantial.
Despite our efforts to make sustainable choices, we often lack control over how the products we use are produced – the fuel for our vehicles, the plastic in our products, the food on our tables, the clothes we wear, the household items we use, fertilisers used in farming, the food we eat, the beverages we drink, and the supplements we take for our health.
The production of these items releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases, known collectively as carbon emissions. The production process demands extensive power, burning of fossil fuels, and in many cases, usage of harmful chemicals. All of this not only results in carbon emissions but also generates toxic waste that ends up polluting the environment.
Fortunately, over the past few decades, there has been a gradual shift towards more environmentally friendly and sustainable production methods across various product categories. The carbon emissions are going down and so is the reliance on toxic chemicals.
What is driving this change? The answer lies partly in biosolutions, because they are already transforming the way we produce and consume everyday products. They have made automobile fuel less polluting, farming less reliant on fertilisers, crops more productive, proteins independent of animal sources, and textile production less chemically intensive. Biosolutions have also made it possible to produce high quality medicines at lower costs through enhanced production efficiency, cost-effective raw materials, reduced dependency on complex supply chains, innovation in biopharmaceuticals, and environmental and regulatory benefits. These are just a few examples.
By integrating biosolutions into the production process, we reduce carbon emissions, making our choices and actions more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Now, let’s dive into some specific examples of how biosolutions are helping us make daily use products that result in lesser carbon emissions and a more environment-friendly everyday life.
Imagine fueling your car with something cleaner and less polluting than the regular petrol that is produced by refining crude oil sucked from the planet’s depths. That’s where biofuels derived from plants and used-up cooking oil, like ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel come into the picture. Biosolutions make the process of turning plants into biofuel more effective, quicker, and efficient and make it possible to even utilize agricultural waste for the production of biofuel.
Most countries now sell a variety of petrol called E10, which is 90 percent petrol blended with 10 percent biofuel. This combination of fuels helps reduce the emissions from your car by around 5 percent1 as compared to petrol not blended with biofuel. While this might not sound like much, the cumulative impact is huge. For example, in the UK it was estimated that the introduction of E10 petrol will reduce carbon emissions equivalent to removing 350,0002 cars off the road.
Did you know that around 60 percent3 of the carbon dioxide emitted in the laundry sector comes from the washing of clothes in households? Yes, your routine of washing dirty clothes also generates carbon dioxide because of all the water, the energy needed to heat water, and the chemicals used in detergents. But, biosolutions can make the detergents and your laundry routine greener!
Better washing at lower temperatures: Usually in regions where temperatures drop steeply during winters, like Europe, washing machines are operated with hot water for effective cleaning of clothes as lower temperatures impact the effectiveness of detergents. However, detergents made with the help of biosolutions are effective even in lower temperatures. According to estimates, if European customers wash their clothes at 30 degrees Celsius instead of 40 degrees Celsius, carbon emissions can be reduced by almost 3.5 million metric tonnes - equivalent to keeping around 830,000 petrol-run cars off the road for one year4.
Detergents use chemicals called surfactants that are derived from fossil fuels. Surfactants play a key role in making the detergents effective against stains. Studies show that replacing 30 percent of fossil fuels-based surfactants with biosolutions can lead to a reduction of 9 grams5 of carbon dioxide emission per wash. While this might not sound much, imagine the impact if every detergent is made using biosolutions - as per estimates, around 15 million tonnes of surfactants is produced globally of which 60 percent ends up in aquatic environments.
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Did you know that food waste contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with an annual footprint of 3.3 billion tonnes6? A large portion of this waste, about 61 percent7, comes from households, including everyday items like bread. Studies show that over 20 percent8 of people discard bread when it becomes dry. Throwing away bread not only wastes food but also impacts the climate. Here’s why: producing a single loaf of bread generates about half a kilo of carbon emissions9. When you throw away a loaf, you're wasting those emissions and adding to plastic waste from its packaging. The more bread we waste, the more we need to produce, leading to more carbon emissions and more plastic waste.
Biosolutions, when added to bread during production, help keep it fresh for longer. These solutions maintain the bread’s softness, elasticity, and moisture, reducing food wastage. For instance, biosolutions used by bread makers since the 1980s, can keep bread fresh for up to 21 days10. This has prevented 80 billion loaves of bread from being discarded, saved around 650,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from being thrown away, and prevented 45 million tonnes of carbon emissions11.
Another example of biosolutions preventing carbon emissions from food waste is yogurt and fermented milk. Biosolutions can delay the growth of unwanted contaminants in these dairy products, acting as an additional barrier against spoilage caused by yeast and mould. This extends the shelf life, reduces food waste, and decreases related carbon emissions. For instance, if yogurt waste in Europe was reduced by 30 percent, 520,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided12.
Did you know that your frosty cold bottle of beer contributes to carbon emissions? Brewing beer is an energy-intensive process that involves growing ingredients (barley, hops, wheat, etc.), malting, brewing, fermenting, packaging, and transportation. Estimates show that about 14 percent of the carbon emissions come from electricity used in production, 39 percent from farming raw materials, and the largest chunk, nearly 50 percent, from packaging the beer13. On average, producing a 330 milliliter glass bottle of beer can generate up to 1.06 kilograms of carbon emissions14. But don't worry, biosolutions are here to help make your favourite beverage more sustainable!
Lower carbon emissions from efficient brewing: Traditional brewing processes require significant energy, especially for heating during the brewing and pasteurisation stages. Biosolutions can optimize these processes, reducing the need for high temperatures and thus lowering energy consumption. They can also enhance the efficiency of brewing ingredients like barley and hops, maximising the use of agricultural resources and reducing the carbon emissions associated with growing and transporting raw materials. For instance, a biosolution by Novonesis that enables brewers to produce beer from only unmalted barley. This biosolution makes it possible to make more beer from less barley, reducing the amount of barley needed to brew beer by 7 percent15 and reducing the carbon emissions from beer production by 8 percent16.
8,109,577,387 and counting. As you read this, the world population keeps growing every second. You can see this live on this world population clock. With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, the demand for protein foods – a crucial component of good health – is set to skyrocket. Today, around a billion people are already protein deficient17. Biosolutions offer a way to meet this demand sustainably without overburdening our planet. They do this in two main ways: making plants a delicious and primary source of proteins and providing advanced innovative proteins from microorganisms.
Elevating taste and nutrition of plant-based foods with fermentation:
If you've been grocery shopping recently, you've probably noticed the rise of plant-based foods as protein sources. Once on the sidelines of mainstream diets, plant-based cuisine is now in the spotlight for its taste and lower impact on climate.
Fermentation enabled by biosolutions has led to the development of diverse and delicious plant-based protein products – from veggie burgers and sausages to dairy-free milk and cheese.
This goes a long way in encouraging people to include plant-based meats in their diet. Surveys reveal that many who would like to do so are deterred due to "hidden unhealthy ingredients"18 added to make plant-based meat more animal-like. Although these additives do not cause harm19, seeing them on the ingredients list discourages people from buying plant-based meats. Biosolutions eliminate the need for such additives and offer plant-based meats with a shorter list of ingredients20.
Advanced proteins from microorganisms:
These proteins are made by fermenting plant products with microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or fungi. While fermentation has been used for thousands of years to make foods like yoghurt and beer, biosolutions have expanded the scope of fermentation to produce protein-rich foods. One example is the production of edible fungi as a protein source. These proteins can save up to 90 percent21 in carbon emissions, water, and land use compared to traditional animal-based proteins.
Proteins from thin air:
Biosolutions have enabled the capture of carbon dioxide from the air, which can be converted into acetate (vinegar). This vinegar can then be fermented into proteins using microorganisms22. Researchers at Novonesis are exploring microorganisms that ferment vinegar instead of sugar. If successful, this method could transform industrial carbon dioxide emissions into protein. According to the Novo Nordisk Foundation, utilising annual carbon dioxide emissions from Egypt’s cement industry could produce enough protein to feed up to 1 billion people per year, reducing land use for protein production by an area larger than Argentina23.
Ever paused to ponder the journey behind your favourite dish? From sinking your teeth into a yummy hamburger to savouring a juicy steak, every delightful bite owes its existence to dedicated farmers ensuring the well-being of their livestock. In the bustling world of cattle, swine, and poultry farming, where balancing animal welfare, sustainability, and quality produce is paramount, biosolutions stand out as transformative allies, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional approaches.
Similar to how we consume probiotics to improve our gut health, biosolutions also work by introducing beneficial bacteria into the digestive tract of livestock, sustaining their gut health, enhancing their ability to absorb nutrition from the food they eat, and bolstering their immune systems. This minimises the need for antibiotics among the animals, in turn mitigating the risk of antibiotic resistance entering the food chain24.
Better animal gut health, fewer carbon emissions: Using biosolutions to improve animal health can significantly reduce carbon emissions by lowering the need to produce animal feed. For instance, some biosolutions enhance the gut health of chickens, helping them absorb more nutrition from less feed. Translation? Poultry farmers spend less on feeding their chickens25 and yet get healthier chickens. This also means more climate-friendly poultry farming.
Less feed requirement at poultry farms means avoiding the need to increase the production of chicken feed, translating into lower carbon emissions.
While this indirect effect on carbon emissions might seem small, it’s actually substantial. If these biosolutions were used for broilers across North America and Latin America, it could save around 4.2 million tonnes26 of carbon dioxide from being emitted, equivalent to removing 999,608 petrol-fueled cars off the roads.
Plants are essential for humanity's sustenance, providing us with crops for food, clothing, medicine, and even biofuel. Think about it – from the veggies on your plate to the cotton clothes you wear, plants are behind it all. We are more than eight billion already on the planet and to fulfill our needs we grow more than 9.5 billion tons27 of crops in a single year – that is a lot of plants and it is a big responsibility to keep them healthy and thriving.
That's where biosolutions swoop in again! These eco-friendly solutions are like magic potions that protect the plants from pesky pests, diseases, and even microscopic worms called nematodes. Plus, biosolutions ensure that plants get all the nutrients they need to grow big and strong. And the best part? Biosolutions are environment and climate-friendly as they are made from microorganisms that are already found in the soil.
More food, less carbon emissions: Biosolutions work wonders by helping plants soak up nutrients from the soil, boosting their growth without guzzling extra water or fertilizers. Thanks to innovative biosolutions from Novonesis, crops have been kicking up a notch, with yields jumping by 3-7 percent28. That's not just good news for farmers – it's great for the planet too! And here's the icing on the cake - fewer carbon emissions. Field tests have shown up to a 15 percent29 drop in carbon emissions during one crop cycle, while also cutting back on nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. So, it's a win-win for farmers and Mother Earth alike! By harnessing the power of biosolutions, we're not just growing crops – we're cultivating a greener, healthier planet for generations to come.
There are many more direct and indirect ways in which biosolutions are enabling the production of products with less environmental and climate impact including, reducing chemicals and bacterial infections in aquaculture, treatment of household wastewater in cities, tanning of leather without harmful chemicals, replacing synthetic chemicals with
green chemicals in industrial processes. The potential applications of biosolutions are vast and each of these innovations plays a critical role in reducing carbon emissions and fighting the battle against climate change. According to Copenhagen Economics, eight categories of biosolutions hold the potential to reduce the current levels of global carbon emissions by 8 percent30: Alternative proteins, Bio plastics, Fermentation and food cultures, Industrial enzymes, Anaerobic digestion of slurry, Probiotic fodder, Bio controls and Biofuels for road transport.
By integrating biosolutions into our daily lives, we are making significant strides toward mitigating climate change, often without even realising it. We've only scratched the surface of what biosolutions can achieve, and many more groundbreaking innovations are on the horizon. As we continue to explore and implement these solutions, we move closer to a future where our actions align harmoniously with the environment, ensuring a healthier planet for generations to come.
References:
1. Comparison of emissions and fuel consumption of a passenger vehicle on two fuels.
2. Measures for introduction of E10 fuel stream. UK, Department for Transport.
3. The climate impact of laundry. Novozymes.
4. Give your brand a natural advantage. Help consumers reduce CO₂ emissions.
5. Great value for money – the key to long-term resilience. Novozymes.
6. Food Loss, Waste Account for 8 Per Cent of All Greenhouse-Gas Emissions, Says Deputy Secretary-General. United Nations.
7. Food Waste Index Report 2021. UNEP.
8. Food waste’s climate impact might be bigger than you think. Novozymes.
9. A loaf of bread emits half a kilo of CO2, mainly from fertiliser. NewScientist.
10. Novozymes Novamyl® Application sheet.
11. Novozymes Novamyl® 30 years - never been fresher.
12. Qbis Consulting, 2016.
13. Are you looking at your products’ full life cycle? Novozymes.
14. Beer, 33 cl glass bottle. CarbonCloud Benchmark.
15. Novozymes report 2009. More beer from less barley.
16. Creating beverages with unmalted barley.
17. Production and supply of high-quality food protein for human consumption: sustainability, challenges, and innovations.
18. Plant-based meats & culinary goods. Novozymes.
19. What chemicals are in plant-based meat? Novozymes.
20. Trends and opportunities in plant protein: a global perspective.
21. Novozymes. "Climate-friendly".
22 & 23. Transforming CO2 into nutritious food proteins. Novozymes.
24. Novozymes and Bactolife join forces to significantly reduce post weaning diarrhea and antibiotic use among weaner pigs.
25+26. Novozymes and DSM launch the world’s first enzyme to improve gut functionality for broiler chickens.
27. Agricultural production statistics 2000–2021. FAO.
28 & 29. Biosolutions Within Agriculture and Food. Case study: More sustainable agriculture with microbes.
30. Biosolutions: A series of overlooked climate technologies.
Biological advancements have continuously revolutionized our daily lives, providing innovation that enhances our comfort, health, and efficiency. Today, you'll discover how biosolutions are all around you in your everyday life, shaping the future and making a significant impact on humanity.
Microbes and enzymes are tiny but mighty agents of change. For billions of years, they’ve enabled transformation in all living things through microbiology.
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