Consumers may see new labels this year that designate some biobased products.

The new BioPreferred Labeling program was the result of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. The bill required federal agencies to give preference to biobased products over regular products.

As a result of the bill, ISU Extension’s Center for Industrial Research and Service paired up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop the BioPreferred program.

Steven Devlin, the program director for BioPreferred, said the labels indicate products that are made from renewable resources and not “green” products.

“The certified biobased products label is not an environmental performance label,” Devlin said. “Don’t get me wrong, there are some biobased products out there that I would consider to be green products, and there is a certain element of greenness to the whole concept of a renewable resource.”

The Center for Industrial Research and Service is responsible for reviewing applications and identifying biobased products. Devlin said the process has not been activated yet, as several computer systems are still being set up.

However, when the program is up and running, companies that want the BioPreferred label on a product will submit an online application for the product.

Once the application is reviewed and qualified, they will be contacted, and redirected to the American Society for Testing Materials. Then the product will be tested at an approved lab. The American Society for Testing Materials will test products using radiocarbon analysis. This will determine the amount of fossil based vs. biobased carbon in the product. If the product should meet the minimum biobased content for their product’s category, the product will become a USDA certified biobased product.

Labels will indicate the percentage of biobased materials in the product.

Currently, there are 50 designated categories for products. Each category has its own minimum biobased content level. Products that do not fall into one of the categories must have at least a 25 percent biobased content.

However, according to Jessica Riedl, the project manager, biobased products that are part of the “mature market,” that is, products that have been around since at least 1972, cannot qualify for the BioPreferred label. This would include products such as cotton T-shirts. Similarly, food products are not eligible for the BioPreferred label.

Companies can also submit applications for packaging, regardless of the product.

“We don’t expect to see too many of those soon, but it could certainly happen in the future,” Riedl said.

According to Riedl, there are currently 20 ISU students involved with the program, but more than 100 ISU students have been involved with the program since its beginning in 2002.

According to Devlin, the target for the program’s launch is Feb. 20.