Amyris Publishes Second Annual Impact Report on Environmental, Social and Governance 

Amyris is deeply committed to sustainability and protecting the abundance and beauty of nature. Our mission is to move the world to use sustainable ingredients. At the heart of what we do is chemistry and we lead the synthetic biology industry, with the distinction of having developed and successfully commercialized the most Lab-to-Market™ ingredients.

Our sustainable ingredients are used in thousands of top global brands, including our own family of consumer brands in Clean Beauty, Health and Wellness markets. We are making people and our planet healthier as the leading provider of clean, sustainable chemistry.

As we drive the transition of industry leaders to sustainable chemistry, our company continues to work to accelerate positive change in other areas because we see the need for rapid, fundamental change in climate, health, social justice and responsible corporate citizenship.

Our efforts and progress are presented in our second annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
This report primarily covers our ESG activities in 2021, during which our company built on its successes in business continuity, productivity and growth in 2020. In 2021, we were pleased to be able to expand our focus toward not only ensuring the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we operate, but also toward pursuing our other sustainability priorities.

Amyris’ sustainability priorities, in addition to sustainable business growth, align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and include:

• Good health and well-being for all at every stage of life
• Responsible consumption and production
• Climate action
• Life below water
• Life on land

The growing focus on health and wellness is more than a trend; it represents a way of living and being healthy. Through our commitment to responsible ESG practices we are building on the value of our ingredients and products to help bring about a better world for consumers, communities and the planet.

Our progress is a result of the hard work of our talented and passionate team, our strong partnerships with industry leaders around the world, the loyalty and enthusiasm of our customers and the ongoing support of our shareholders.

This year’s report builds upon the baseline established in our inaugural 2020 report.  In 2021, we continued our core ESG activities from the prior year and we expanded our focus to include new sustainability efforts including an in-depth greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory and the formation and mobilization of our ESG Council.

We are proud to have made ESG reporting a standard part of our annual business operations to provide updates on new initiatives, progress toward our goals, and the new milestones that we strive to accomplish.

Download our 2021 ESG report and learn more about the key developments from this year’s report:

ENVIRONMENTAL – PROTECTING PEOPLE AND THE PLANET 
As we strive to make our sustainable ingredients mainstream, we are simultaneously working to reduce the environmental impact of our operations through a variety of initiatives, including energy efficiency programs, carbon offsets, water and chemical management systems, and waste recycling programs. These initiatives support our fermentation-based approach to manufacturing, ultimately producing sustainable ingredients at scale that are better for people and the planet.  

In 2021, our sugarcane feedstock received the Bonsucro Chain of Custody Certification for the second year in a row, which ensures the responsible sourcing and trading of Brazilian sugarcane and provides transparency and assurance along the supply chain. Several of our ingredients have also received accreditation from leading environmental organizations, including ECOCERT, the USDA-Certified Biobased Product, Environmental Working Group. Additionally, our lab in Emeryville, California is a certified Platinum Level Lab via My Green Lab in a LEED Silver-certified building.

As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, we engaged Carbonfund to purchase carbon credits to offset GHG emissions generated from our business-to-consumer operations. In 2021, this partnership allowed us to offset approximately 54 metric tonnes of carbon emissions from customer orders traveling 417,745,938 air and ground miles. We have set an aggressive environmental goal to reach net zero by 2030 and we plan to accomplish this by continuing to invest in carbon life cycle analysis and the close tracking of GHG emissions, toxic air contaminants, and other harmful gasses across its facilities. In 2021 alone, we saw a 30 percent reduction in energy associated with cold storage, 95 percent of hazardous waste produced in Emeryville was recycled or burned to produce energy, and downstream water requirements associated with squalane (a flagship ingredient) reduced by 65 percent.  

SOCIAL – MAKING LIFE BETTER  
Amyrisians are the heartbeat of the company and our global team of employees all rally around the shared vision of a more sustainable future for generations to come.   

Collaboration and safety are two of our core values that ensure Amyris maintains its reputation as a world class place to work. Amyris employees embody a culture of constant growth and we support employees both at work and at home, by offering competitive benefits, including 90 percent employer-paid health insurance, mental healthcare resources, and a continuing education program. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Amyris Safety Committee developed new protocols to keep employees safe, including administering over 7,000 COVID-19 tests to employees in 2021 and developing ergonomic strategies for the new remote workforce that grew by 40 percent last year.  

As a company, we understand the importance of a diverse workforce and our hiring and workplace policies reflect this, providing equal employment opportunities and promoting a work environment that embraces diversity in every form. With a workforce of 58 percent people who identify as women, we have taken important steps to work toward gender pay equity, including routine audits that help highlight gaps to be addressed. Amyris has also supported the development of several employee resource groups (ERGs) where employees self-organize around shared experiences with the ultimate goal of making Amyris an inclusive and safe place to work – some of our ERGs include Women Empowering Each other, BIPOC, and OUT@Amyris.

Lastly, we believe we have a responsibility to take action to support our local communities and invest in future generations. Last year, we donated $10,000 to both the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and the Stop AAPI Hate organization to support efforts to combat anti-Asian racism and we also developed an annual $180,000 scholarship fund for Black students in STEM, marketing, and business fields. On the brand side, Biossance granted two $10,000 Impact Awards for projects related to protecting marine environments and Pipette pledged $50,000 to Teaching Tolerance, The Conscious Kid, and EmbraceRace. Individuals from across the company also participated in a number of environmental activities, including neighborhood and shoreline clean-ups, a “Day of Science” with a local elementary school, and Giving Drives for back-to-school supplies.

We continue to make progress toward our social goal of 100 percent engagement in community improvement by 2024 – our employees are vital to achieving this and we are grateful for their continued interest and activism in making the world a better place, both at Amyris and in their personal lives.

GOVERNANCE – OPERATING OUR BUSINESS RESPONSIBLY  
Strong corporate governance practices are the cornerstone of trust with our employees, investors, and stakeholders. We have developed several committees and policies that are designed to hold our business to the highest possible standards, ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and foster a culture of integrity and ethics.  

We have a number of board-level committees in place to ensure oversight and transparency at the highest level. We have also established a structure for ensuring constant dialogue between our executive team and stakeholders to allow for continuous feedback and improvement. Our Nominating and Governance Committee (NGC) plays a critical role in advising the board and providing corporate governance guidelines for the company. The NGC is also responsible for overseeing the management of sustainability and public policy matters alongside the newly established ESG Council. The ESG Council is comprised of members across the business who are responsible for ensuring we meet our ESG milestones – it is strategically designed to be a cross-functional, collaborative, and process-oriented committee that provides greater transparency and insight into Amyris’ ESG efforts.

Our governance goal to have 100% of Amyris partners adopt the Amyris “Partnership Pledge to the Planet” by 2023 is in motion and currently supported by an in-depth compliance process, which includes thorough diligence and verification for all third-party partners.

We are thrilled to share the findings of our 2021 ESG efforts and believe that accountability is key to building a sustainable future for people and the planet.

Download the full report here which includes specifics of our ESG methodology and comprehensive data, and follow along on Twitter and LinkedIn.