{"id":123914,"date":"2023-03-15T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=123914"},"modified":"2023-03-10T13:14:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T12:14:39","slug":"why-amazons-climate-pledge-fund-is-investing-in-this-entrepreneur-and-her-plastic-waste-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/why-amazons-climate-pledge-fund-is-investing-in-this-entrepreneur-and-her-plastic-waste-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Amazon&#8217;s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in this entrepreneur and her plastic waste solution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"BorlabsCookie _brlbs-cb-youtube\"><div class=\"_brlbs-content-blocker\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-embed _brlbs-video-youtube\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_brlbs-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/borlabs-cookie\/assets\/images\/cb-no-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"YouTube\"> <div class=\"_brlbs-caption\"> <p>By loading the video, you agree to YouTube&#8217;s privacy policy.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy?hl=en&amp;gl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Learn more<\/a><\/p> <p><a class=\"_brlbs-btn _brlbs-icon-play-white\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Load video<\/a><\/p> <p><label><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"unblockAll\" value=\"1\" checked> <small>Always unblock YouTube<\/small><\/label><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><div class=\"borlabs-hide\" data-borlabs-cookie-type=\"content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-id=\"youtube\"><script type=\"text\/template\">PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iR2VuZWNpcyYjMDM5O3MgU29sdXRpb24gdG8gUGxhc3RpYyBXYXN0ZSB8IEFtYXpvbiBOZXdzIiB3aWR0aD0iNTAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI4MSIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLW5vY29va2llLmNvbS9lbWJlZC90SnVnWV9rZ2lFVT9mZWF0dXJlPW9lbWJlZCIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIGFsbG93PSJhY2NlbGVyb21ldGVyOyBhdXRvcGxheTsgY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlOyBlbmNyeXB0ZWQtbWVkaWE7IGd5cm9zY29wZTsgcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlOyB3ZWItc2hhcmUiIHJlZmVycmVycG9saWN5PSJzdHJpY3Qtb3JpZ2luLXdoZW4tY3Jvc3Mtb3JpZ2luIiBhbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4+PC9pZnJhbWU+<\/script><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As part of our commitment to support women climate tech entrepreneurs, Amazon\u2019s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Genecis, a bioplastics company founded by scientist Luna Yu. Genecis uses organic waste, like table food scraps, to create a biodegradable bioplastic that is an alternative to conventional plastic packaging.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Climate Pledge Fund, which invests in climate tech companies developing innovations that help address global warming,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/sustainability\/amazon-commits-53-million-to-fast-track-innovations-by-female-climate-tech-entrepreneurs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently announced<\/a>&nbsp;its Female Founder Initiative to invest $50 million in women-founded and women-led climate tech companies. The program also invests money in incubators and accelerators that support women entrepreneurs, and it\u2019s designed to help address the gender-equity funding gap that currently exists for women in climate tech. Women founders and their companies often receive a fraction of the venture capital funding\u2014less than 3%\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/articles\/the-vc-female-founders-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to Pitchbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yu, who founded Genecis at the age of 21, is the first woman CEO to receive investment support through the Female Founder Initiative. Genecis is also the fund\u2019s first investment in a company directly addressing the use of fossil fuel\u2013derived plastics and the global warming factors they contribute to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.aboutamazon.com\/dims4\/default\/4f3050f\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1800x1098+0+0\/resize\/1218x743!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Famazon-blogs-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F2d%2F6726c6914c3fb263c15523f66438%2Flunayu-biocard.jpg\" alt=\"A bio card of Luna Yu that reads &quot;Luna Yu, CEO, Genecis&quot; and &quot;A bioplastics company that uses organic waste, like table food scraps, to create a biodegradable bioplastic.&quot;\" width=\"609\" height=\"372\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yu came up with the idea for Genecis while studying to be an environmental scientist, and she says that her decision to work in climate tech has been encouraged by the leadership of other women in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI was inspired to start Genecis after I watched one of my friends at university start her own climate tech company. She raised all the funds, networked, and worked tirelessly. I realized that if she could do it, I shouldn\u2019t let anything stop me,\u201d said <strong>Yu<\/strong>. \u201cI hope my path and story will encourage more women to develop their climate change solutions, too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Phoebe Wang, investment partner and head of the Female Founder Initiative, says she hopes Amazon\u2019s program will also signal to women that funding is available to help bring their ideas to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cIf we want to address climate change at scale, women like Luna need resources to build their companies,\u201d said <strong>Wang.<\/strong> \u201cBy funding more companies like Genecis, we aim to send a ripple effect through the venture capital industry to encourage broader support for more female climate tech founders.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn more about Genecis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditional plastics are created using petroleum and are a key source of pollution. Nearly 400 million metric tons of plastics are produced every year using fossil fuels, less than 10% of which get recycled and more than half of which end up in landfills, according to the\u00a0American Chemical Society. Genecis\u2019 innovations with bioplastics have the potential to help address this challenge by replacing plastic products with fully biodegradable options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/03\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-03-10-um-11.38.20.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-123926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/03\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-03-10-um-11.38.20.png 610w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/03\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-03-10-um-11.38.20-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/03\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-03-10-um-11.38.20-150x85.png 150w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/03\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-03-10-um-11.38.20-400x226.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yu and her team at Genecis are using specialized bacteria to convert organic waste, like bread crusts and other food scraps, into bioplastics. Bioplastics can be used to create a wide variety of products and packaging\u2014such as food packaging, clothing and textiles, and medical tools and products\u2014that are currently made with traditional plastics. Genecis is currently working with several corporate partners to design products for their use and bring more bioplastics to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon is currently evaluating ways to use Genecis\u2019 technology. In the future, Genecis bioplastics could potentially offer Amazon customers the opportunity to receive grocery and pharmacy items in bioplastic packaging that is both biodegradable and easily recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cReducing plastic waste is a challenging environmental issue. Investing in solutions like Genecis\u2019 bioplastics is part of Amazon\u2019s broader strategy to reduce single-use plastic,\u201d said <strong>Alan Jacobsen, principal materials scientist at Amazon<\/strong>. \u201cThe work of Luna Yu and her team at Genecis has the potential to make plastic alternatives more affordable and change the impact plastic packaging has on the environment.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More about Amazon\u2019s approach to plastics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Plastic packaging is an industry-wide challenge, and Amazon is taking multiple approaches to reduce its packaging and increase recyclability. This includes investing in technologies and materials that have helped reduce the weight of the packaging per shipment by 38% and eliminated the use of more than 1.5 million metric tons of packaging materials since 2015, as well as Amazon\u2019s work with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/sustainability\/amazon-and-u-s-department-of-energy-team-up-to-cut-plastic-waste\">the Department of Energy\u2019s BOTTLE consortium<\/a>&nbsp;on reducing plastic pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/sustainability\/how-amazon-is-reducing-packaging\">Learn more about Amazon\u2019s work to reduce its use of plastics<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As part of our commitment to support women climate tech entrepreneurs, Amazon\u2019s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Genecis, a bioplastics company founded by scientist Luna Yu. Genecis uses organic waste, like table food scraps, to create a biodegradable bioplastic that is an alternative to conventional plastic packaging. The Climate Pledge Fund, which invests in [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"In recognition of Women\u2019s History Month and International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, Amazon\u2019s Climate Pledge Fund is highlighting stories of women leading startup companies that are delivering on important sustainability challenges","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[11270,5838,5847,10416,7105],"supplier":[9175,1143,15121],"class_list":["post-123914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-biodegradability","tag-bioeconomy","tag-bioplastics","tag-circulareconomy","tag-packaging","supplier-amazon","supplier-american-chemical-society-acs","supplier-genecis-bioindustries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123914\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123914"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=123914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}