Synthetic biology uses engineering concepts to leverage the power of biology. Through the design and construction of biological systems it is now possible to turn organisms into living factories, capable of producing chemicals previously attainable only through expensive extractions or through the use of petrochemicals and other non-renewable resources. AmberCycle Industries is at the forefront of this emerging field, using synthetic biology to tackle problems for which nature has yet to find a solution. AmberCycle has developed genetic engineering and screening technologies that enable us to modify the way microorganisms, or microbes, grow. By controlling these metabolic pathways, we are able to design microbes, and use them as living factories in established fermentation processes to convert industrially and commercially generated plastic waste into high value, renewable branded target molecules. We first developed and applied our technology to create microbial strains that will produce purified terephthalic acid, a precursor of PET plastic.