Novozymes named EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year for third year in a row

FRANKLINTON, North Carolina, United States – October 3, 2023. Novozymes was named a 2023 Safer Choice® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding achievement in the manufacture of ingredients that are safer for families, pets, workplaces, communities, and the environment. Novozymes is among the 30 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners announced by the EPA in 2023.

The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers for facilities, such as schools and office buildings, find products that perform and are safer for human health and the environment. Novozymes’ recognition is based on the company’s innovative approach to creating enzymes to be incorporated into safer detergents, and for spreading awareness of Safer Choice advocating for use of Safer Choice ingredients.

"We are proud to again be receiving this recognition as a Safer Choice Partner,” said Arnaud Melin, VP of Consumer Biosolutions, Americas, at Novozymes. “At Novozymes, we are committed to developing best-in-class enzymes for household care products that are safe for families, our waterways, and the planet." 

Ambitious sustainability journey 

Novozymes is on an ambitious journey to enable biological detergents without compromising wash performance and cost. The company continues to build its product portfolio to help industry partners to launch U.S. EPA Safer Choice approved consumer products. In 2023, the Denmark-based biotech leader introduced two unique and powerful enzymatic blends under the Novozymes Medley® banner, both of which meet the Safer Choice criteria. The Medley® portfolio helps reduce the number of products detergent manufacturers need to carry, reducing packaging and shipping costs, thus lowering their carbon footprint. 

Novozymes showed its commitment to EPA’s goal of addressing climate change by working to reduce carbon emissions. Last year, Novozymes reduced its CO2 emissions from operations by 63%, from a 2018 baseline, and sourced 82% of its electricity from renewable sources. Additionally, the company has taken bold steps to reduce carbon emissions from its entire supply chain with the aim of reaching net-zero by 2050. Novozymes is among the first companies in the world to have its net-zero target across scopes 1, 2 and 3 validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

"Our company purpose states ‘Together, we find biological answers for better lives in a growing world.’ A vital element of this is not just doing our part with our own products, but also educating and empowering others, whether that be our commercial customers, the organizations we partner with, or the general public, to explore and adopt these solutions’” said Melin. “Moving forward, our focus continues to be on reducing the cleaning industry’s need for fossil-fuel-based surfactants and other non-renewable chemistries, while meeting consumers’ cleaning performance and price expectations."

To qualify for the Safer Choice label, a product must meet EPA’s Safer Choice Standard, which includes stringent human and environmental health criteria. The Safer Choice program currently partners with about 350 formulator-manufacturer partners who make nearly 2,000 Safer Choice-certified products for both consumers and commercial buyers. 

More information on the 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award winners can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/2023-safer-choice-partner-year-award-wi…