Ginkgo Bioworks Joins the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network

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Nov 27, 2019, 09:00 ET

BOSTON, Nov. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks, the organism company, today announced it has joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, the world's leading circular economy network, as an Emerging Innovator.

As one of the world's top synthetic biology companies committed to harnessing the power of biology to build a more sustainable world, Ginkgo will be part of the CE100 network to help inform sustainability efforts and continue to pioneer a global shift away from the wasteful and extractive models that characterize traditional approaches to manufacturing and industry.

The CE100 platform brings together businesses, innovators, cities, governments and universities committed to collaborate on the transition to a circular economy model built on making the best use of resources through designing for the prevention of waste, the reuse of products, and the recycling of materials. The network enables members to collaborate and unlock new opportunities that support the objective of building a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.

Ginkgo has been instrumental in demonstrating the potential of synthetic biology to replace and optimize costly or unsustainable manufacturing processes, and is already making an impact across industries, from pharmaceuticals to food.

"Building a better, more sustainable world through biology is at the core of Ginkgo's mission as a company," said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder at Ginkgo Bioworks. "We are honored to be joining forces with an organization so aligned to our own vision and values, and look forward to working with the CE100 network and countless other innovative organizations who are at the forefront of this transition."

"We are delighted to welcome Gingko Bioworks to the CE100 Network, a leading organisation in synthetic biology to contribute its unique perspective to the Network," said Joe Murphy, CE100 lead for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. "We look forward to working together as we raise the ambition and collective efforts of our network to develop and promote the concept of a circular economy and its global adoption."

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Headquartered in Boston, Ginkgo Bioworks uses the most advanced technology on the planet—biology—to grow products instead of manufacturing them. The company's technology platform is bringing biotechnology into consumer goods markets, enabling fragrance, cosmetic, nutrition, and food companies to make better products. For more information, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com.

About the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the CE100 Network
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision makers around the world. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's CE100 Network is the world's leading circular economy network, providing a pre-competitive space to learn, share, and put ideas into practice.
More information can be found at https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/.

About the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment Vision

At the heart of the Global Commitment is a vision of a circular economy for plastic, where plastics never become waste. Each signatory formally endorses the vision and the need to work towards achieving it.

It is defined by six key points:

Elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models is a priority
Reuse models are applied where relevant, reducing the need for single-use packaging
All plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable
All plastic packaging is reused, recycled, or composted in practice
The use of plastic is fully decoupled from the consumption of finite resources
All plastic packaging is free of hazardous chemicals, and the health, safety, and rights of all people involved are respected

Read entire vision here: https://newplasticseconomy.org/assets/doc/npec-vision.pdf

Ginkgo Bioworks Contact:
Kelsey Donohue
Bateman Group for Ginkgo Bioworks
[email protected]

SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks