How Novozymes harnesses the sustainability superpower of enzymes

Novozymes employs enzyme-based catalysts to lower energy and chemical use in over 40 industrial sectors, aiming to save 100 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2020. The company integrates circular economy principles at its Kalundborg site and uses life cycle assessments to validate the climate benefits of its products, such as bioenergy solutions and agricultural inoculants.

• Novozymes leverages the properties of enzymes—which are biodegradable and act as catalysts rather than components—to reduce waste and resource consumption. These enzymes allow industrial processes to operate at lower temperatures and moderate pH levels, which reduces energy use in applications like laundry and decreases the need for toxic chemicals, such as reducing sulphide use in leather processing by 40 percent.
• The company has reduced its own operational carbon dioxide intensity by 11 percent since 2014, exceeding its 2017 target of 9 percent. This was achieved through energy efficiency and a transition to renewables, with its Denmark operations powered 100 percent by wind energy since 2011.
• At its Kalundborg site in Denmark, Novozymes participates in the "Kalundborg Symbiosis," a circular production consortium with eight other organisations. Recent collaborations include a biogas plant using Novozymes' biomass residues to cut annual emissions by an estimated 17,000 metric tons and a shift from coal to wood chips for energy supply, expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 800,000 metric tons (with 35,000 metric tons attributed to Novozymes).
• Novozymes aims to save 100 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year through customer product application by 2020, having reached 76 million metric tons in the previous year. Key drivers of these reductions include laundry products that enable lower washing temperatures and fuel ethanol solutions that replace fossil fuels with bio-based feedstocks.
• Using life cycle assessments (LCAs) since 2004, the company has quantified the impact of its agricultural biosolutions in the United States. For corn-based feed, the company estimates that mass adoption of its products could save almost 90 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, providing 10 billion extra U.S. gallons of bioethanol and 21 TWh of bioelectricity.
• Novozymes advocates for the scaling of integrated biorefineries to provide low-carbon biofuels for hard-to-electrify sectors like shipping, planes, and heavy-duty vehicles. These refineries can produce biogas and solid combustibles for peak electricity demand and capture biogenic CO2 from fermentation to generate negative greenhouse gas emissions.

APA

Gerholdt, J. (2018). How Novozymes harnesses the sustainability superpower of enzymes. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/how-novozymes-harnesses-the-sustainability-superpower-of-enzymes/

Chicago

Gerholdt, Jennifer. How Novozymes harnesses the sustainability superpower of enzymes. We Mean Business Coalition, 2018. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/how-novozymes-harnesses-the-sustainability-superpower-of-enzymes/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gerholdt |first1=Jennifer |title=How Novozymes harnesses the sustainability superpower of enzymes |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=25 October 2018 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/how-novozymes-harnesses-the-sustainability-superpower-of-enzymes/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gerholdt2018how, author = {Gerholdt, Jennifer}, title = {{How Novozymes harnesses the sustainability superpower of enzymes}}, institution = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/how-novozymes-harnesses-the-sustainability-superpower-of-enzymes/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }