Enzymes for consumer products to achieve climate neutrality

Lay Summary: Accumulated greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase from 36.2 to 60 gigatons over the next three decades. The global surface temperature has increased by +1.09°C since 2001, and might increase by +2.2°C in 2100, +3.6°C in 2200 and +4.6°C in 2500. These emissions and temperature rise cannot be reduced in their entirety, but they can be lowered by using enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions that make life possible since 3.8 billion years ago. Scientists have been able to ‘domesticate’ them in such a way that enzymes, and their engineered variants, are now key players of the circular economy. With a world production of 117 kilo-tons and a trade of 14.5 billion-dollars, they have the potential to annually decrease CO2 emissions by 1–2.5 billion-tons, the carbon demand to synthesize chemicals by 200 million-tons, the amount of chemicals by 90 million-tons, and the economic losses derived from global warming by 0.5%, while promoting biodiversity and our planet’s health. Our success to increase these benefits will depend on better integration of enzymatic solutions in different sectors.