Technologies key to greener living

(Thomas Nagy is executive vice president for stakeholder relations of Novozymes. He previously led the company's North American operation in Franklinton, N.C.)

Human evolution and the prosperity we enjoy today are based on a history of radical change. Mastering fire. Stone tools. Agriculture. The Iron Age. The Industrial Revolution. Computers. Biotechnology. Novozymes believes the next radical change is bioinnovation.

Bioinnovation is the use of novel methods and technologies to drive sustainable solutions. Sustainable solutions for a greener environment, a healthier planet and better lives. Sustainable solutions that help industry produce more while consuming less. Sustainable solutions that rethink the way we look at industry, resource consumption and social responsibility.

This isn't a far-fetched dream. Novozymes has built our success upon these revolutionary principles. We are a $1.4 billion global company with more than 4,500 employees in 23 countries. A real company with real solutions and real profits -- all based on bioinnovation.

Today, the world's poorest people use an incredibly small percentage of the world's energy. In the United States, we have 4 percent of Earth's population, but we consume 25 percent of the total global energy. What happens when 4 billion people currently living below the poverty line want to advance to our standard of living? Globalization is allowing the economies of China, India, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia to grow at a pace far greater than previously seen. This growth will necessitate the use of more energy, natural resources and technology to support the natural course of global development.

It is imperative that we decouple the current ratio of economic growth from the use of natural resources, helping the people of the world achieve their dreams of a better life while not creating the dire environmental scenarios that many are predicting.

Novozymes' technologies are positioned to meet these challenges. Using enzymes, we can create solutions that reduce energy consumption, improve production efficiencies. Here are a just two examples out of the more than 40 industries Novozymes serves:

By using our enzymes in laundry detergents, clothes can be washed as effectively at 85 degrees Fahrenheit as they can at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Reducing wash temperature 20 degrees saves energy at the consumer level.

The North American baking industry uses 40 percent less fossil energy and totally redesigned the supply chain after introducing the use of our technology.

These reductions in energy and transportation costs go directly toward cutting expenses for both consumers and local businesses.

Our technology also directly affects rural economic development. The rise of the biofuel industry in the United States has created significant employment and local investment opportunities. Through 2006, the ethanol industry, which depends heavily on enzyme technology, created more than 150,000 new jobs and added more than $32 billion to the gross output of the American economy.

Bioinnovation is a critical tool in balancing global economic growth with the responsible use of natural resources. By rethinking how we develop sustainable solutions, it is possible to support the global desires for improved quality of life while meeting our responsibility to future generations. The world needs radical innovation. From Novozymes' perspective, bioinnovation is an obvious strategy.