The Fed Prefers Bio-Based Products

The federal government is throwing its weight behind products made with renewable, bio-based materials through the USDA’s BioPreferred program, which includes a mandatory procurement program for Federal agencies and contractors, and a voluntary labeling program.

Ron Buckhalt, BioPreferred program manager, will present a session at Composites 2010 explaining the history of the program and how the composites industry can participate. “I want them to understand that’s there’s going to be a way for them to label their products that contain renewable products and help them get more market share,” he says. “That’s what’s coming down the road, to help them differentiate some of these bio products from petroleum products.”

The objective is to develop new markets for agricultural commodities that can be used to make industrial products. According to Buckhalt, the government’s interest in the subject goes back to the 1938 Farm Bill, which promoted research in on new uses of commodities to make industrial products. Nonetheless, more attention has been given to the concept in contemporary times. “I’ve seen more growth in the last three years than I saw in the first 15 I’ve worked on this,” Buckhalt says. “The growth is actually exponential, particularly as we look toward greening our supply chain. People are willing to pay a little more, and with the government leading the way, we’re able to keep the prices down.”

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 1:15 pm and is filed under General Interest, Sustainability and Green Manufacturing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.