Ginkgo Bioworks: Shaping the values of the emerging biotech sector

Ginkgo Bioworks uses ESG reporting as a strategic tool to build trust and influence the norms of the industrial biotech sector. The company emphasizes the importance of Scope 3 emissions and the concept of 'Scope 4' (avoided emissions) to demonstrate its role as a climate solution. To manage the complexity of overlapping reporting frameworks, Ginkgo has adopted the World Economic Forum's Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics (SCM), which provide a simplified set of 21 core metrics. The company views the reporting process as a 'flywheel' that drives internal sustainable change and motivates industry peers to adopt similar practices.

• Ginkgo Bioworks views ESG reporting as a strategic mechanism to establish industry norms and earn public trust during the 'biotech revolution', acting as a 'flywheel' to drive internal sustainability and inspire other industrial biotech firms.
• The company's primary climate impact is found in Scope 3 emissions by providing bioengineered alternatives to petrochemicals. A specific example is a joint venture with Bayer to develop microbes for nitrogen fixation in crops like corn, wheat, and rice, which could reduce the impact of nitrogen fertilizers that contribute to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ginkgo identifies a significant measurement challenge regarding 'Scope 4' or 'avoided emissions', where biotech products (such as plant-based meat) replace carbon-intensive alternatives, though the company notes the current mathematics for such measurements can be 'dubious'.
• To avoid the 'paralysing' variety of ESG frameworks, Ginkgo has adopted the World Economic Forum's Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics (SCM), valuing its 21 core metrics for their commercial materiality and rigour. The company intends to report against most of these metrics in its first annual sustainability report in mid-2022.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Ginkgo Bioworks: Shaping the values of the emerging biotech sector. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SCM_GinkgoBioworks_May_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Ginkgo Bioworks: Shaping the values of the emerging biotech sector. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SCM_GinkgoBioworks_May_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Ginkgo Bioworks: Shaping the values of the emerging biotech sector |date=May 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SCM_GinkgoBioworks_May_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022ginkgo, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Ginkgo Bioworks: Shaping the values of the emerging biotech sector}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SCM_GinkgoBioworks_May_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }