Paper short abstract:

We explore the assemblage of narratives of environmental responsibility and sustainability in synthetic biology. Drawing on Strathern's notion of 'fragile futures' we interrogate the partiality of existing anthropocentric and market-driven narratives of 'green' production.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on an ethnography of 'Responsible Innovation in Practice', we explore the assemblage of narratives of environmental responsibility and sustainability in a synthetic biology collaboration. Drawing on Strathern's (2008) notion of 'fragile futures' we consider how ethnographic knowledge can be used to interrogate formal narratives of environmental accountability, and the partiality of the anthropocentric and market-driven aspirations to 'green' production.

One of the promissory roles of synthetic biology is the potentially to transition away from reliance on petrochemical processing toward 'greener' bio-based modes of production. As the science matures, industry leaders and small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs), supported by government initiatives, are increasingly investing in the development of synthetic biology collaborations. Ensuring the sustainability of biotechnological advancements is central to current Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) frameworks, embraced by UK Research Councils. As such, the aspiration, promise and rhetoric of 'green' production is highly visible in narratives of synthetic biology.

Using ethnographic data from a UK industry-academic synthetic biology collaboration we interrogate concepts of environmental responsibility, exploring the unstable assemblage of conflicting values involved. This assemblage takes place against the drive to maximize capacity, stability and sustainability in the wider material, political and knowledge economies. We use this analysis to explore how researchers engage with the conflict of securing 'greener' access to products which may themselves have questionable environmental legacies and futures. We conclude by exploring what a meaningfully 'win' for 'green' strategies might constitute in this current terrain of synthetic biology.