DuPont and Procter & Gamble Win Sustainable Bio Award at 2014 World Bio Markets Conference
Wilmington, Del. (PRWEB) March 06, 2014 -- DuPont and Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) are the joint winners of the 2014 Sustainable Bio Award for Bio-Based Product Innovation of the Year. The two companies were recognized today at the 2014 World Bio Markets Conference in Amsterdam for their pioneering work to achieve the previously impossible: the cleaning power of warm-water clothes washing at cold-water temperatures.
This collaboration brought together DuPont – a world leader in science and innovation – and P&G – a world leader in consumer products – to develop the next generation of cleaning technology. DuPont applied an unprecedented scientific process to build a new enzyme technology that delivers better cleaning power at lower wash temperatures. This innovative engineering method discovered an optimal enzyme, also known as a protease, which matches the performance of detergent at 60°F as the previous generation of product at 90°F. This new protease improves cold water wash performance allowing consumers to reduce energy use by washing in lower temperatures – the most energy-intensive aspect of laundering clothes. DuPont worked with P&G’s scientists to incorporate this protease into their liquid detergent products, which they are marketing around the globe.
“This protein has the potential to become one of the most widely used engineered enzymes in the world,” said William F. Feehery, president, DuPont Industrial Biosciences. “With Procter & Gamble, we were able to combine the resources and talents of our global teams to completely re-imagine this product from the ground up. The result is a breakthrough for consumers that delivers superior fabric cleaning in cold water.”
The new product enables unprecedented environmental benefits for the detergent industry. Approximately 45 billion loads of laundry are cleaned in U.S. homes annually, producing roughly 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). If all of those loads were run in cold water, the energy saved from not heating the water would reduce CO2 emissions by 32.3 million metric tons – the equivalent of the annual electricity use of 3.7 million U.S. homes. For consumers, that means lower energy bills and more money in their pockets.
DuPont and P&G received the award at the 9th annual World Bio Markets Conference. The conference brought together industrial, academic and policy experts to provide a comprehensive look at the opportunities in the bio-based economy, including end-user markets for renewable fuels, bio-based chemicals and bio-based products.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.
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Wendy Rosen, DuPont, 650-284-6429, [email protected]
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