WHAT IS BIOPREFERRED?

About the BioPreferred® Program

Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the goal of the BioPreferred program is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. The BioPreferred program was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and reauthorized and expanded as part of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). The program's purpose is to spur economic development, create new jobs and provide new markets for farm commodities. The increased development, purchase, and use of biobased products reduces our nation's reliance on petroleum, increases the use of renewable agricultural resources, and contributes to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts.

The two major parts of the program are:

• mandatory purchasing requirements for federal agencies and their contractors; and,
• a voluntary labeling initiative for biobased products.

While the BioPreferred program does not provide financial support for its participants, USDA's Rural Development agency offers loan and grant programs that may be applicable. For more information, please clickhere.

About Mandatory Federal Purchasing

Federal law, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Presidential Executive Orders direct that all federal agencies purchase biobased products in categories identified by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). To date, USDA has identified 97 categories (e.g. cleaners, carpet, lubricants, paints) of biobased products for which agencies and their contractors have purchasing requirements. Each mandatory purchasing category specifies the minimum biobased content for products within the category. The BioPreferred program provides acquisition tools, theBioPreferred Catalog and training resources to assist in meeting biobased purchasing requirements.

About Voluntary Labeling Initiative

As consumers consider purchasing options with sustainable attributes, USDA wants to make it easy for consumers to identify biobased products. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label, displayed on a product certified by USDA, is designed to provide useful information to consumers about the biobased content of the product.

A business with a biobased product that meets USDA criteria may apply for certification, allowing them to display the USDA Certified Biobased Product label on the product. This label assures a consumer that the product contains a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients (referred to as biobased content). Consumers can trust the label to mean what it says because manufacturer's claims concerning the biobased content are third-party certified and strictly monitored by USDA.

What Are Biobased Products?

Biobased products are derived from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials and provide an alternative to conventional petroleum derived products. Biobased products include diverse categories such as lubricants, cleaning products, inks, fertilizers, and bioplastics. For purposes of the BioPreferred program, biobased products do not include food, animal feed, or fuel.

MANDATORY FEDERAL PURCHASING

Federal law, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Presidential Executive Orders direct that all federal agencies purchase biobased products in categories identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To date, USDA has identified97 categories (e.g. cleaners, carpet, lubricants, paints) of biobased products for which agencies and their contractors have mandatory purchasing requirements. As USDA identifies product categories for mandatory federal purchasing, minimum biobased content is established for the category.

Biobased product purchasing requirements are included in solicitations, blanket purchase agreements, contracts, and specifications. Requirements also extend to purchases made through purchase cards, electronic catalogs, and other procurement vehicles.

Directives for the Mandatory Purchasing of Biobased Products

Mandatory federal purchasing requirements for biobased products were established in the 2002 Farm Bill and expanded in the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills. Executive Order 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, includes provisions that increase federal agency accountability for meeting BioPreferred requirements. A 2012 Presidential memo, Driving Innovation and Creating Jobs in Rural America through Biobased and Sustainable Product Procurement, reinforced the goals and requirements for mandatory federal biobased product purchasing. Biobased purchasing requirements are detailed throughout the Federal Acquisition Regulation including acquisition planning, mandatory purchasing by purchase card, source selection, mandatory contract clauses, and general policy and provisions. For further information see Policies and Laws.