USDA BioPreferred
- Also known as
- BioPreferred Program, USDA Certified Biobased Product, biobased label
USDA BioPreferred is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, created by the 2002 Farm Bill, that promotes biobased products through federal purchasing requirements and the voluntary USDA Certified Biobased Product label, which states a product's tested biobased content.
What is USDA BioPreferred?
The BioPreferred Program is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase the purchase and use of biobased products: products made wholly or significantly from plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. It was created by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the 2002 Farm Bill, and has been reauthorized and expanded in later farm bills.
The program has two parts.
Federal procurement preference
USDA designates categories of biobased products, such as cleaners, lubricants and coatings, and sets a minimum biobased content for each. Federal agencies and their contractors are required to give purchasing preference to qualifying biobased products in those categories.
The USDA Certified Biobased Product label
The second part is a voluntary label, introduced in 2011, that manufacturers can place on qualifying products. To use it:
- The product’s biobased content must be measured by an independent laboratory using ASTM D6866, the radiocarbon test.
- The content must meet or exceed the minimum USDA has set for the product’s category.
- The label displays the certified percentage of biobased content.
The label tells buyers how much of a product’s carbon comes from renewable biological sources. It does not certify biodegradability, toxicity or overall environmental performance, which other programs, such as EPA Safer Choice, address.
BioPreferred at Locus
Locus states that its Amphi ingredient line is certified by USDA as 100 percent biobased and lists USDA biobased certification among its ingredient credentials for industrial and institutional cleaning formulators.
Frequently asked questions
It means an independent laboratory has measured the product’s biobased carbon content using ASTM D6866, the content meets USDA’s minimum for its category, and the manufacturer is authorized to show the certified percentage on the label.
No. USDA Organic certifies how agricultural products are grown and handled. The BioPreferred label certifies the share of a product’s carbon that comes from biological sources.
Sources
- About the BioPreferred Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- ASTM D6866, ASTM International