Specialty Chemicals Company Lygos Names Chantal Bergeron Chief Sustainability Officer: 4 Things to Know

Lygos, a developer of sustainable specialty chemicals, has named Chantal Bergeron as chief sustainability officer (CSO). She reports to Co-founder and CEO Eric Steen.

Here are four things to know about Bergeron and the Lygos sustainability strategy.

1. Business Scope and Scale: Lygos, based in Berkeley, California, was founded in 2011. The company has 63 employees listed on LinkedIn as of September 2023. Lygos develops sustainable specialty chemicals. The company's areas of expertise spans synthetic biology, industrial chemistry, and application development. Stated more simply, the firm develops specialty ingredients that help improve everyday consumer products. 

Lygos in July 2023 launched Soltellus, a line of multi-functional, water-soluble polymers for home care, agronomy, and water treatment. The solution is a nontoxic and biodegradable alternative to persistent polyacrylate and polycarboxylate polymers, the company asserted. Among the potential use cases: Soltellus reduces spotting and filming of glassware when incorporated into dishwasher detergents, the company said.

Lygos and Flexible Solutions International (FSI) announced merger plans in April 2022, but the two firms abandoned the merger in September 2022.

2. Lygos Sustainability Goals: We have not seen specific net-zero goals from Lygos.

3. Chantal Bergeron's Focus: Bergeron is responsible for establishing goals, implementing processes, and identifying future opportunities in sustainability for the organization. In addition to these new responsibilities, Bergeron remains director of home care, helping customers find sustainable solutions that meet their performance needs, Lygos said.

Bergeron holds a Masters in Plant Biology and a Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences and has over 20 years of experience working with sustainable brands including Tom’s of Maine and Seventh Generation, as well as traditional consumer product goods companies such as Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever, Lygos noted.

4. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement about Bergeron's expanded role, CEO Eric Steen said: “As Lygos delivers solutions that are sustainable, high-performing, and lower cost, we’re shifting the paradigm that says you can’t deliver all three. We welcome Chantal’s leadership in helping our customers meet their highest performance and sustainability goals.”

Added Bergeron: “Our impact is bigger than ourselves. It’s time to follow nature’s cycle and address the release of non-biodegradable substances in our land and water. We believe that you don’t have to sacrifice performance for sustainability and I look forward to helping our team create a world that is in-sync with nature.”

Lygos Sustainability Strategy: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.