Other GMO Uses

You may be surprised to learn that we rely on genetically modified crops for much more than simply the food we eat. So, other than food, what are GMOs used for? Well, for starters, we use GMOs for clothing, medicine and fuel. Read on to find out about other uses.

GMOs and Consumer Products

Biotechnology is used in so many areas of our daily lives – not just in the food we eat. GMOs provide many benefits for humans and the environment, including:

• In the laundry room, genetic engineering boosts our detergent. Enzymes enhanced through genetic engineering help remove protein stains, grease, and starches. 
• If you’re a parent, you might use biodegradable diapers. Scientists created this innovation with genetic engineering. A genetically engineered microbe breaks down the materials in the diaper after use, making it biodegradable. 
• Genetically modified soy-based materials are a popular alternative to paper and plastic products. For example, soy-based straws are biodegradable. Genetically modified soybeans also conserve water and use fewer insecticides. 
• Corn and soybeans are used to make biofuels. Biofuels are less expensive fuels for cars and machinery that are better for the environment. They burn cleaner and use fewer resources. Learn more about this below.  
• GMOs are also common in medicine. Scientists used genetic modification to improve insulin, saving lives. In the past, scientists used pancreas glands from more than 23,000 pigs to make one pound of insulin. Today, genetic engineering has improved animal welfare, making insulin in a lab without pigs. Being GMO-free means avoiding many of the modern treatments that benefit humans, animals, and the world.

GMOs are prevalent in many everyday consumer products, but that doesn’t mean they’re dangerous. GMOs are helping us live greener lives. More than 20 years of research prove that GMOs are safe for humans and the environment. This technology is integral to feeding a growing population in a changing world. 

In addition to the foods and products mentioned above, did you know these common household items were made with some genetic engineering?

• Cheese – An enzyme needed to make a type of cheese called chymosin is genetically engineered and 90% of cheese produced uses it
• Stone-washed jeans – Biotech enzyme fades and softens jeans
• Vitamins B12 & B2 - GE microbe development for fermentation
• Wine – GE yeast for fermentation

GMO Cotton for clothing, plastics, and more

80% of all cotton produced worldwide in 2017 was genetically modified. In the US, 93% of all cotton currently grown is GMO cotton.

Cotton is an extremely versatile crop that has been grown for thousands of years. The purpose of GMO cotton is to make it insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant, so farmers can protect their crops from pests and weeds.

A US bale of cotton weighs around 500 pounds, and one bale alone can produce 215 pairs of jeans, 250 single bed sheets, 750 shirts, 1,200 t-shirts, 2,100 pairs of boxer shorts, 3,000 diapers, 4,300 pairs of socks, or 680,000 cotton balls!

But cotton provides more than just apparel and home furnishings. Every part of the cotton plant can be used. The long cotton fibers are used to make cloth, the short fibers provide cellulose for making plastics and can be used in the paper industry and processed into batting for padding mattresses, furniture and car cushions. You can make oil, margarine, soap, cosmetics, types of rubber, and more out of the seeds of the cotton plant. The leaves and stalks of the cotton plant are plowed into the ground to make the soil better. Cottonseed and cottonseed meal are used in feed for livestock, dairy cattle, and poultry.

Suzie Wilde, a cotton farmer in West Central Texas, explains the benefits of the genetic traits of the GM cotton she grows (herbicide and insect resistance). According to Suzie:

“These two genetic traits [of GM cotton] have cleaned both the air I breathe and the water I drink and are preserving the soil that grows my beloved cotton. Cleaner air since the tractor can stay parked more often. Cleaner water since there is less herbicide on the surface to run off. Preserving the soil since tillage has been greatly reduced. A cleaner product since the insecticide is reduced or even eliminated in some years.”

Learn more about cotton as a commodity crop.

The many uses of GMO corn

Corn is planted on about 80 million acres in the US and, according to the USDA, 89% of those acres are GM corn. Approximately 99% of the corn grown in the US is field corn, with the remaining 1% being sweet corn. What’s the difference between field and sweet corn? Whereas you’ll find sweet corn in your produce aisles and farmers markets, field corn is typically used for livestock feed, food ingredients, and to make a wide range of consumer products.

In fact, there are over 4,200 uses of GMO field corn, including fuel for our cars, oil for sunscreen and water bottles, starch for magazine printing and sidewalk chalk. "Here’s this one rather simple crop from which we humans have learned to make so many different things,” said Katie Pratt, corn and soy farmer, and author of the blog Rural Route 2. CommodityHQ explains that corn is “often used widely in a number of other applications as well. Corn, for example, is used in everything from artificial sweeteners to fuel sources to papers and containers.” Corn is also used to make matchsticks, crayon, carpet and much more.

Learn more about corn as a commodity crop.

GMO Soybeans replacing petroleum-based chemicals

Today, soy ranks second only to corn as the most widely planted field crop in the US, and approximately 94% of the soy planted in the US is GM soy.

Most soybeans grown in the US are used to produce soybean meal and soybean oil, but there are many other uses for this versatile crop. North Carolina Soy explains that because soy oil creates an environmentally friendly solvent, soy is used in many industrial lubricants, solvents, and cleaners. United Soybean shares some of the ways soybeans are being used to help replace petroleum-based chemicals and known carcinogens in industrial products. For example, soy oil can be used to replace formaldehyde in many products, and even petroleum in some manufacturing processes. Additionally, plywood, paints containing soybean oil instead of petroleum-based oils, ink, candles, carpet backing – including backing for Astroturf in football stadiums – can all be made from soybeans.

Henry Ford is a well-known innovator, so it's not surprising that he was interested in alternative materials for vehicles as early as the 1940s. Ford unveiled a "soybean car" in 1941 that had a plastic body made from soybeans (among other plant materials) and was 1,000 lbs. lighter than the average steel car. Today, Ford Motor Company is still utilizing soy as an alternative material, including soy foam for interior seating.

Learn more about soybeans as a commodity crop.

GMOs and Medicine

Some GMOs are even saving lives. Since the 1980’s genetic engineering has been used to develop human insulin. Currently, about five million Americans use genetically modified insulin, and without GMOs, the demand for insulin would not be met.

Researchers are also studying the use of monoclonal antibodies produced in GMO tobacco plants as a potential drug treatment to combat Ebola. In fact, vaccines derived from GMO techniques are already preventing a range of diseases including hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio. Other GMO vaccines are under development for which non-GMO methods have been ineffective, including vaccines to fight cholera, malaria and other diseases.

GMOs and Renewable Energy

Genetically engineered crops are used to grow renewable fuels as well, such as ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is traditionally produced from GMO corn and biodiesel from GMO soybeans. Additionally, researchers are developing the second generation of biofuels produced from cellulosic biomass and algae.

Certain biotech corn varieties enable more efficient biofuel production by improving the process through which cellulose and/or starch is broken down and converted to fuel. This helps reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing process by decreasing the amount of water, electricity, and natural gas needed to produce biofuel.