Sojitz Corporation and Ginkgo Bioworks Announce Plans to Use Synthetic Biology R&D Services to Accelerate Sustainable Manufacturing in Japan

Sojitz intends to use its extensive network to help Ginkgo foster business connections within the Japanese bioeconomy

TOKYO and BOSTON, May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sojitz, a large Japanese general trading company with extensive networks within the Japanese bioeconomy, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced that they have entered into a binding definitive agreement. Together, Sojitz and Ginkgo aim to build connections with key Japanese businesses and encourage the use of synthetic biology to develop sustainable production processes.

Sojitz Corporation and Ginkgo will collaborate in a joint business development effort to offer Ginkgo's R&D services to Japanese customers. Sojitz believes Ginkgo's unique synthetic biology research and development services will appeal to customers within the Japanese bioeconomy that are looking to replace petroleum and chemical-based manufacturing processes with bio-based ones.

The Japanese government has formulated a Bioeconomy Strategy that envisions a $837 billion (USD) bioeconomy, and is looking to develop biotechnology applications across industries as it pursues its climate commitments to reach net zero by 2050. Ginkgo hopes to apply its platform in support of the Japanese biotech ecosystem to accelerate progress to achieving this vision.

Koji Izutani, Managing Executive Officer, Sojitz: "We are pleased to introduce Ginkgo's technology to Japanese companies that have a desire to reduce their carbon footprint and develop sustainable fermentation processes. We are confident that Ginkgo's expertise in synthetic biology and the breadth of its technology platform can be used to transform processes across various Japanese industries, including industrial biotechnology."

Ena Cratsenburg, Chief Business Officer, Ginkgo: "We're thrilled to join efforts with Sojitz and collaborate on bolstering the Japanese bioeconomy. Sojitz is a well respected trading company that has extensive relationships with many of the major industrial and chemical companies in Japan. We look forward to working with Japanese companies to leverage our synthetic biology platform to accelerate the development and launch of bio-based and sustainable products in Japan."

Ginkgo's co-founder, Tom Knight, will present at the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 conference on May 15th at 12pm Japan Standard Time, where he will further discuss the collaboration with Sojitz.

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

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.

GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
[email protected]

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
[email protected]

SOJITZ CONTACT:
Sojitz Corporation Public Relations Dept.
[email protected]
Website, https://www.sojitz.com/en/

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (ii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (iv) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (v) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vi) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (vii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (viii) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (ix) the product development or commercialization success of our customers. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May 9, 2024 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks