Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez announces US$60 million to establish Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein

Today at Aspen Ideas: Climate, Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez announced an initial US$60 million commitment to establish Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein as part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s US$1 billion commitment to food transformation. In her remarks focused on the promise of possibility with innovation and invention, Sánchez said that we need to invent our way out of climate change and pursue advancements in technologies to find solutions for our future.

The Centers will target major technological barriers to reducing cost, increasing quality, and boosting nutritional benefit of alternative proteins by advancing science and technology. To date, challenges in biomanufacturing – the production, at scale, of sustainable protein products, whether plant based, fermented, or cultivated – are resulting in high costs and limited quality. There are also enormous opportunities to enhance the texture and boost flavor through innovation in cell biology and engineering.

“We need to feed 10 billion people with healthy, sustainable food throughout this century while protecting our planet. We can do it, and it will require a ton of innovation,” said Sánchez. “Our world is poised for transformation, for a future not constrained by compromise. Solutions to our greatest challenges often come from the quiet persistence of those willing to question, reimagine, and innovate.”

This announcement builds on the Bezos Earth Fund’s US$1 billion commitment to support farmers and expand food production in a sustainable manner. Work includes reducing methane from livestock and innovating in pasture management to help take pressure off forested land. The Earth Fund is also working with inventors, researchers, and entrepreneurs to improve the resilience and carbon absorption of major food crops.

Food is the second largest cause of climate change, and agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Making the food system more sustainable requires changing the way we produce and consume food. Given population and income growth, by 2050 food consumption is expected to rise by 50%, while emissions from food will need to fall by 60% and pressure on vital forest systems will need to be reduced. New ideas, technologies, and behaviors can make this possible.