IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0257327.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring presentations of sustainability by US synthetic biology companies

Author

Listed:
  • James Karabin
  • Izaac Mansfield
  • Emma K Frow

Abstract

The field of synthetic biology is increasingly being positioned as a key driver of a more sustainable, bio-based economy, and has seen rapid industry growth over the past 15 years. In this paper we undertake an exploratory investigation of the relationship between sustainability and synthetic biology, identifying and analyzing sustainability-related language on the public websites of 24, US-based synthetic biology companies. We observe that sustainability is a visible part of the self-presentation of the nascent synthetic biology industry, explicitly mentioned by 18 of the 24 companies. The dominant framing of sustainability on these company websites emphasizes environmental gains and “free-market” approaches to sustainability, with little explicit mention of social dimensions of sustainability such as access, justice or intergenerational equity. Furthermore, the model of sustainability presented focuses on incremental transition towards environmental sustainability through direct substitution of products and processes using bioengineered alternatives (n = 16 companies), with no change in societal consumption or policy frameworks required in order to see sustainability gains. One-third of the companies analyzed (n = 8) mention “nature” on their websites, variously framing it as a resource to be managed or as a source of inspiration; whether the latter signals a potentially more complex relationship with nature than advanced free-market models of sustainability remains to be seen. As the synthetic biology industry begins to grow in size and visibility, we suggest this is an opportune time for the community to engage in explicit deliberation about its approach to sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • James Karabin & Izaac Mansfield & Emma K Frow, 2021. "Exploring presentations of sustainability by US synthetic biology companies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0257327
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257327
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0257327
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0257327&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0257327?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Béatrice Parguel & Florence Benoît-Moreau & Fabrice Larceneux, 2011. "How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter "Greenwashing": A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication," Post-Print halshs-00561187, HAL.
    2. Christopher A. Voigt, 2020. "Synthetic biology 2020–2030: six commercially-available products that are changing our world," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-6, December.
    3. Béatrice Parguel & Florence Benoît-Moreau & Fabrice Larceneux, 2011. "How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter ‘Greenwashing’: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(1), pages 15-28, August.
    4. Geels, Frank W. & Schot, Johan, 2007. "Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 399-417, April.
    5. Arnim Wiek & David Guston & Emma Frow & Jane Calvert, 2012. "Sustainability and Anticipatory Governance in Synthetic Biology," International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD), IGI Global, vol. 3(2), pages 25-38, April.
    6. Emma Frow & David Ingram & Wayne Powell & Deryck Steer & Johannes Vogel & Steven Yearley, 2009. "The politics of plants," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 1(1), pages 17-23, February.
    7. K. E. French, 2019. "Harnessing synthetic biology for sustainable development," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(4), pages 250-252, April.
    8. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4687 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Alice Benessia & Silvio Funtowicz, 2015. "Sustainability and techno-science: What do we want to sustain and for whom?," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 18(4), pages 329-348.
    10. Ribeiro, Barbara & Shapira, Philip, 2019. "Anticipating governance challenges in synthetic biology: Insights from biosynthetic menthol," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 311-320.
    11. Swinda F. Pfau & Janneke E. Hagens & Ben Dankbaar & Antoine J. M. Smits, 2014. "Visions of Sustainability in Bioeconomy Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-28, March.
    12. Lisa Scordato & Markus M. Bugge & Arne Martin Fevolden, 2017. "Directionality across Diversity: Governing Contending Policy Rationales in the Transition towards the Bioeconomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-14, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Véra Ehrenstein & Alice Rudge, 2024. "The logic of carbon substitution: from fossilised life to “cell factories”," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 105(1), pages 99-123, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Skarmeas, Dionysis & Leonidou, Constantinos N., 2013. "When consumers doubt, Watch out! The role of CSR skepticism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1831-1838.
    2. Ginder, Whitney & Byun, Sang-Eun, 2022. "To trust or not to trust? The interplay between labor-related CSR claim type and prior CSR reputation of apparel retailers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Yongbo Sun & Binbin Shi, 2022. "Impact of Greenwashing Perception on Consumers’ Green Purchasing Intentions: A Moderated Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-15, September.
    4. Yunjeong Kim & Kyung Wha Oh, 2020. "Which Consumer Associations Can Build a Sustainable Fashion Brand Image? Evidence from Fast Fashion Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Eugene Kang & Nguyen Bao Lam, 2023. "The impact of environmental disclosure on initial public offering underpricing: Sustainable development in Singapore," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 119-133, January.
    6. Newton, Joshua D. & Tsarenko, Yelena & Ferraro, Carla & Sands, Sean, 2015. "Environmental concern and environmental purchase intentions: The mediating role of learning strategy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1974-1981.
    7. Falcone, Pasquale Marcello & Tani, Almona & Tartiu, Valentina Elena & Imbriani, Cesare, 2020. "Towards a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy in Italy: Findings from a SWOT analysis," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    8. Muhammad Ishfaq Khan & Shahbaz Khalid & Umer Zaman & Ana Ercília José & Paulo Ferreira, 2021. "Green Paradox in Emerging Tourism Supply Chains: Achieving Green Consumption Behavior through Strategic Green Marketing Orientation, Brand Social Responsibility, and Green Image," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-24, September.
    9. George B. Frisvold & Steven M. Moss & Andrea Hodgson & Mary E. Maxon, 2021. "Understanding the U.S. Bioeconomy: A New Definition and Landscape," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, February.
    10. Ying Zhang & Shouming Chen & Yujia Li & Disney Leite Ramos, 2024. "Does Environmental Protection Law Bring about Greenwashing? Evidence from Heavy-Polluting Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, February.
    11. Richard Paul Gregory, 2024. "How Greenwashing Affects Firm Risk: An International Perspective," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-30, November.
    12. Rainer Lueg, 2022. "Constructs for Assessing Integrated Reports—Testing the Predictive Validity of a Taxonomy for Organization Size, Industry, and Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, June.
    13. Torelli, Riccardo & Balluchi, Federica & Lazzini, Arianna, 2019. "Greenwashing and Environmental Communication: Effects on Stakeholders’ Perceptions," OSF Preprints 97vxn, Center for Open Science.
    14. Goodarzi, Shadi & Masini, Andrea & Aflaki, Sam & Fahimnia, Behnam, 2021. "Right information at the right time: Reevaluating the attitude–behavior gap in environmental technology adoption," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    15. Muhammad Kaleem Khan & Chunhui Huo & R. M. Ammar Zahid & Umer Sahil Maqsood, 2024. "The automated sustainability auditor: Does artificial intelligence curtail greenwashing behavior in Chinese firms?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 9015-9039, December.
    16. Stoeckl, Verena E. & Luedicke, Marius K., 2015. "Doing well while doing good? An integrative review of marketing criticism and response," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2452-2463.
    17. Tolossa Fufa Gulema & Yadessa Tadesse Roba, 2021. "Internal and external determinants of corporate social responsibility practices in multinational enterprise subsidiaries in developing countries: evidence from Ethiopia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    18. Girardin, Florent & Bezençon, Valéry & Lunardo, Renaud, 2021. "Dealing with poor online ratings in the hospitality service industry: The mitigating power of corporate social responsibility activities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    19. Vera Ferrón‐Vílchez & Jesus Valero‐Gil & Inés Suárez‐Perales, 2021. "How does greenwashing influence managers' decision‐making? An experimental approach under stakeholder view," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 860-880, March.
    20. Florian Hawlitschek & Nicole Stofberg & Timm Teubner & Patrick Tu & Christof Weinhardt, 2018. "How Corporate Sharewashing Practices Undermine Consumer Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0257327. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.