PROJECTS PLANET PARTNERS PROCESS PRODUCTS PRODUCTION RESOURCES PEOPLE REQUEST A QUOTE CONTACT US WHAT IS BIO-PREFERRED? NOT ALL CLT IS BIOPREFERRED, BUT ALL SMARTLAM CLT IS. THE MATERIAL BELOW IS EXCERPTED FROM THE USDA WEBSITE: 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 Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 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 click here. 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 139 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, the BioPreferred 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 the purposes of the BioPreferred Program, biobased products do not include food, animal feed, or fuel. This document provides more information about biobased content and how it is determined. Products participating in the voluntary labelling initiative have their biobased content measured using ASTM D6866 as part of the certification process. Click to Read the Press Release IF YOU ARE A FEDERAL AGENCY, CONTRACTOR OR AN INTERESTED PARTY AND YOU ARE CONSIDERING THE USE OF CLT, PLEASE CONTACT US AT SALES@SMARTLAM.COM. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is the purpose of the USDA BioPreferred® Program? What is a "biobased" product? How do I determine the biobased content of a product? Are biobased products "safer" or "better" for the environment than non-biobased products? Are products that display the USDA Certified Biobased Product label independently tested for biobased content? Does a higher percentage of biobased content mean a product is "better"? News Careers Contact Us CORPORATE CONTACT 610 3rd Street West Columbia Falls, MT 59912 406.892.2241 SALES 406.892.2241 sales@smartlam.com COLUMBIA FALLS MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 2070 Columbia Falls, MT 59912 COLUMBIA FALLS 610 3rd Street West Columbia Falls, MT 59912 406.892.2241 DOTHAN 1371 Hodgesville Road Dothan, AL 36301 © 2021 SmartLam NA | All Rights Reserved