Geno Announces New Partnership with Sojitz to Accelerate Commercialization of World's First Plant-Based Nylon-6

Collaboration Can Enable Plant-Based Sourcing for Industry

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial biomanufacturing technology leader Genomatica ("Geno") today announced that it has entered into a new partnership with Sojitz Corporation ("Sojitz") to significantly accelerate the commercialization of plant-based nylon-6 based on Geno's underlying proprietary technology. Sojitz has made a strategic financial investment to accelerate time-to-market, while also contributing its commercial and business expertise.

Nylon-6 is one of the most widely used materials in the world. Traditionally produced from fossil-derived carbon sources or recycled materials, it can be found in a broad range of everyday products including outdoor gear, apparel, military materials, and automotive components. Geno's proprietary technology enables 100% renewable carbon-based nylon-6.

"At Sojitz, we believe real progress comes from challenging the status quo. Geno has been a leader in industrial biomanufacturing, continuously striving for innovation, and we look forward to working together with Geno to actively reshape the future of this sector with materials that are both commercially viable and globally responsible," said Mitsutoshi Takagi, General Manager of Environment and Life Science Department at Sojitz. "The Chemicals Division is actively promoting the development and trade of bio-based chemicals. Leveraging our expertise and global network, Sojitz will further accelerate the development of the world's first plant-based nylon-6 business."

"Through this collaboration with Sojitz, we're advancing our mission to enable cost-competitive production of plant-based nylon-6 at industrial scale. This material will be a drop-in replacement for nylon-6 that has traditionally been produced from petroleum-based feedstocks," said John Gugel, CEO of Geno. "Our collaboration with Sojitz and our other existing partners aims to accelerate commercialization of Geno's breakthrough technology to provide consumers, and the major brands who serve them, with high-performance materials that are produced from traceable and renewable sources of carbon."  

Geno will seek to collaboratively establish a consortium of industry leaders focused on creating a separate entity for the flagship commercial plant with Sojitz.  This investment and partnership are part of Sojitz's long-term "Sustainability Challenge," a vision to drive sustainable growth for the company and society by advancing decarbonization across its businesses. More information about Sojitz Chemical Division's business activities can be found on their website.

Geno and Aquafil have successfully partnered to produce 100% renewably sourced, plant-based nylon-6 and plan to continue pre-commercial plant operations to further demonstrate the bioprocess technology and assess plant-based nylon. The multi-tons of material will undergo testing in various established nylon-6 applications. Previous applications include a collaboration with lululemon including for their 2023 Earth Day campaign, as well as several final products presented through Project Effective, such as those by H&M and Vaude.  

Plant-based nylon-6 is merely one of several product lines that Geno is driving on a path to commercialization at industrial scale. Geno also invented, scaled up, and engineered the GENO™ Bio-BDO process now being used by Qore at its new renewable BDO manufacturing facility in Iowa. The plant, part of a joint venture between Cargill and HELM, is the world's largest manufacturing site using GENO™ Bio-BDO (1,4-butanediol) and will help leading brands replace their fossil-based chemistries with more sustainable, plant-based alternatives. Through its partnership with Geno, Hyosung is building the world's first fully integrated manufacturing site for bio-based spandex from renewable raw material to fiber. More information on how Geno is accelerating the world's transformation to sustainable materials can be found on their website.

About Geno
Geno is harnessing the power of biology to enable cost-competitive production of everyday products using alternative feedstocks that enable new resilient and traceable supply chains to produce high-volume chemicals with significantly lower carbon intensity. Through its portfolio of industrial biomanufacturing technologies, Geno is enabling the production of more sustainable materials derived from plant or waste-based feedstocks instead of fossil-derived carbon sources. Geno's technology can be used to create sustainable materials and ingredients in a range of everyday products, including apparel, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, engineered plastics, carpets, home cleaners, and much more. To learn more, visit genomatica.com.

About Sojitz
Sojitz Corporation was formed out of the union of Nichimen Corporation and Nissho Iwai Corporation, both companies that boast incredibly long histories. For more than 160 years, our business has helped support the development of countless countries and regions. Today, the Sojitz Group consists of approximately 400 subsidiaries and affiliates located in Japan and throughout the world, developing wide-ranging general trading company operations in a multitude of countries and regions.

SOURCE Geno