Abstract
Tackling the pressing sustainability needs of society will require the development and application of new technologies. Biotechnology, emboldened by recent advances in synthetic biology, offers to generate sustainable biologically-based routes to chemicals and materials as alternatives to fossil-derived incumbents. Yet, the sustainability potential of biotechnology is not without trade-offs. Here, we probe this capacity for sustainability for the case of bio-based nylon using both deliberative and analytical approaches within a framework of Constructive Sustainability Assessment. We highlight the potential for life cycle CO2 and N2O savings with bio-based processes, but report mixed results in other environmental and social impact categories. Importantly, we demonstrate how this knowledge can be generated collaboratively and constructively within companies at an early stage to anticipate consequences and to inform the modification of designs and applications. Application of the approach demonstrated here provides an avenue for technological actors to better understand and become responsive to the sustainability implications of their products, systems and actions.
Highlights
Tackling the pressing sustainability needs of society will require the development and application of new technologies
How can we navigate through this complexity and promote the sustainable development of emerging technologies? A growing sustainability literature emphasises the need for an open-ended approach characterised by experimentation and learning; this body of literature recognizes that traditional, top-down “command and control” management and policy approaches to solving such problems are insufficient for robust decision making under conditions of uncertainty[5,7,8,9]
To operationalise and illustrate our Constructive Sustainability Assessment (CSA) approach, we established a transatlantic collaboration consisting of a biotechnology company developing fermentation products across multiple scales and uses, and a team of university researchers
Summary
Tackling the pressing sustainability needs of society will require the development and application of new technologies. Biotechnology, emboldened by recent advances in synthetic biology, offers to generate sustainable biologically-based routes to chemicals and materials as alternatives to fossilderived incumbents. Recognising the growing call for more environmentally, economically, and socially responsible societies, emerging technologies are increasingly promoted on the promise of sustainability benefits. By enabling biological routes for the production of a wide range of fuels, chemicals, and materials from biomass, synthetic biology could displace existing fossil-based production routes with renewable alternatives[2,3]. Given their potential, it would seem appropriate to harness such technologies to help deliver greater sustainabilty[4]. How can we navigate through this complexity and promote the sustainable development of emerging technologies? A growing sustainability literature emphasises the need for an open-ended approach characterised by experimentation and learning; this body of literature recognizes that traditional, top-down “command and control” management and policy approaches to solving such problems are insufficient for robust decision making under conditions of uncertainty[5,7,8,9]
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