Biodiesel, wind-powered product labels promoted

Biodiesel, wind-powered product labels promoted    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred program will now include a voluntary product certification and labeling program for qualifying biobased products.
   This new label will clearly identify biobased products made from renewable resources, and will promote the increased sale and use of these products in the commercial market and for consumers.
   'These products have enormous potential to create green jobs in rural communities, add value to agricultural commodities, decrease environmental impacts, and reduce our dependence on imported oil,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, in a statement.
   Biobased products are those composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients — renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. The new label indicates that the product has been certified to meet USDA standards for a prescribed amount of biobased content. The new rule applies to product manufacturers and distributors who wish to label products with USDA’s distinctive product mark.
   'This new label will help consumers identify biobased products made from renewable resources, and will promote the increased sale and use of these products, including many soy-based products, in the commercial market,' said American Soybean Association President Alan Kemper. 'It is in the best interest of both consumers and soybean farmers that USDA continue to promote the use of biobased products through the labeling program and expansion of the BioPreferred procurement program.'
   With the launch of USDA's biobased product label, the BioPreferred program is now comprised of two parts: a biobased product procurement preference program for federal agencies, and a voluntary labeling initiative for the broad-scale marketing of biobased products.
   Through implementation of the BioPreferred program, USDA has already designated about 5,100 biobased products for preferred purchasing by federal agencies. The new label will make identification of these products easier for federal buyers, and will increase awareness of these high-value products in other markets.
   USDA estimates there are 20,000 biobased products being manufactured in the United States and that the growing industry is responsible for more than 100,000 jobs.
   An example of USDA’s new BioPreferred product label is available here.
   USDA’s BioPreferred program was created by the 2002 Farm Bill to increase the purchase and use of biobased products within the federal government and the commercial market. Congress reauthorized and strengthened the program in the 2008 Farm Bill to further promote the sale of biobased products.
   The wind energy industry also this week announced its support for the development of a global consumer label to identify companies that use this form of renewable energy to make their products.
   A global survey of more than 25,000 consumers across 20 markets shows that 92 percent of respondents believe that renewable energy is good for mitigating climate change, and that if presented with a choice, most of them would prefer products made with wind energy, even at a premium.
   While many companies have already made statements about their commitment to renewable energy, consumers have had no way of verifying the source of the energy used. The WindMade initiative presents a verifiable, standardized global label to products manufactured with wind energy.
   The WindMade consortium, which is led by the Global Wind Energy Council, World Wildlife Fund, LEGO Group, United Nations Global Compact, Vestas Wind Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bloomberg, hopes to attract leading consumer brands as members.
   'We want to build a bridge between consumers and companies committed to clean energy, and give consumers the option to choose more sustainable products. We hope that this will create a strong element of consumer pull which will accelerate the pace of wind energy development globally,' said Ditlev Engel, chief executive officer and president Vestas, who pioneered the WindMade initiative. 'We strongly encourage forward-looking companies to join us in this effort.'
   To use the WindMade label for their communications or products, WindMade members will undergo a certification process to verify their wind energy procurement. The standard for certification is being developed by a technical expert group. The aim will be to drive the development of new wind power plants, over and above what would be developed anyway.
   “It is crucial that the WindMade criteria live up to the high standards necessary for the label to serve consumers' desire to make tangible impact and boost clean renewables. We believe that voluntary certification is one key to raising the bar for mainstream performance,' said James Leape, director general of WWF.
   The WindMade initiative will be presented in more detail at a high-level gathering of the founding partners during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 28. This event will be attended by senior executives of leading brands, as well as other interested parties. A public consultation will be held from March 2011 to inform the development of the certification standard. ' Chris Gillis