Bezos Earth Fund Announces USD60m to Establish Centers for Sustainable Protein

Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez announced an initial USD60m commitment to establish Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein as part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s USD1bn commitment to food transformation. 

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.

“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 USD1bn 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.