April 02 2008
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Rethinking Tomorrow to help save the planet
The world stands close to an abyss of climate change and the only bridge across is sustainability. High on the agenda for consumers, industries, and governments is the issue of climate change and sustainability. Novozymes has been preparing for this issue for 20 years.
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Steen Riisgaard is a rethinker of tomorrow.
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Novozymes offers bioinnovative and sustainable solutions that enhance energy savings, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and in many processes replace chemicals with natural enzymes – facts proven through product Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs). In addition to being sustainable, our solutions are also cost effective, helping businesses to face the challenges of today and preparing them to meet the needs of tomorrow.
In partnership with our customers, Novozymes is Rethinking Tomorrow, rising to the challenge of developing long-term and sustainable solutions. In 2007, Novozymes’ solutions helped the world avoid approximately 20 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This data is based on about 200,000 tons of enzyme products, each ton saving 100 tons of carbon dioxide on average. These estimates are rough, of course, but they give a fair impression of the scale of our impact.
Novozymes kicks off 2008 with a promise of its commitment to offer innovative and sustainable solutions to customers and partners at the 2008 SDA Annual Meeting & Industry Convention, the most strategic detergent event in the industry. The theme of this year’s convention is aptly “Going Beyond Green.”
The right political climate
Awareness of climate change issues and the resulting need for sustainable solutions has increased thanks to award-winning documentaries like The Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, as well as several international scientific reports about the climate. Politicians today are openly admitting that climate change is a man-made issue and that it is time for man to change his ways.
Government bodies are moving rapidly to counter climate change by enforcing policies and regulations. US lawmakers recently passed a sweeping energy bill that imposes tougher fuel efficiency standards on vehicles – legislation that could dramatically change the cars Americans drive.
As a front-runner in offering bioinnovative solutions to the fuel ethanol industry and working with partners to develop solutions for the second-generation biofuel industry, Novozymes is already part of the solution, driving the world into a sustainable biofuel future.
The wrong economic climate
Whether climate change is seen as a threat or as an opportunity by industries across the world – the ultimate goal is to find sustainable solutions and processes. This goal will be put to the test in the year 2008, where the economic pendulum is set to swing against the environment.
It is always easier to push policies and regulations benefiting the environment and countering climate change during an economic upswing. But the way it looks now, Novozymes will have to face the challenge of Rethinking Tomorrow, weighed down by the challenge of a troubled world economy.
But these challenges like any others will be overcome by our sheer grit and commitment to live our brand. There is an urgent need to Rethink Tomorrow because of where we stand as a people in regards to the environment. Novozymes has the right technology and the skills, and I believe that with our customers and partners, we can Rethink Tomorrow to create a better future for all of us.
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| Steen Riisgaard, ceo of novozymes |