USDA celebrates 2nd National Biobased Products Day

USDA honored the second annual National Biobased Products Day March 8, a celebration to raise public awareness of biobased products, their benefits and their contributions to the U.S. economy and rural communities.

Biobased products offer opportunities for more revenue streams for small and mid-sized farmers while giving consumers more in-demand, clean options for everyday items.

The federal government supports and incentivizes biobased products because they are what consumers want, said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“And [they are] what farmers, and our planet, need,” he added. “American farmers, growers, biobased business owners and innovators are resilient and thriving. We are committed to celebrating them and the economic, environmental and health benefits of biobased products on National Biobased Products Day.”

As part of USDA’s activities to honor National Biobased Products Day, the Department has released a report, titled, “An Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry: 2023 Update.”

The report shows that, based on data from 2021, the biobased products industry has grown nationwide despite the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Key report findings include:

• Biobased products, a segment of the bioeconomy, contributed $489 billion to the U.S. economy in 2021, up from $464 billion in 2020. This is an increase of $25 billion—a 5.1 percent increase.

• The biobased products sector, and the jobs it supports, are shown to impact every state in the nation not just to the states where agriculture is the main industry.

• The use of biobased products reduces the consumption of petroleum equivalents. In 2017, oil displacement was estimated to be as much as 9.4 million barrels of oil equivalents. In 2021, the displacement grew to 10.7 million barrels of oil equivalents.

Findings span seven major sectors representing the bioeconomy, including:

• Agriculture and forestry.

• Biobased chemicals.

• Biobased plastic bottles and packaging.

• Biorefining.

• Enzymes.

• Forest products.

• Textiles.

This year’s release is the sixth volume in a series of reports tracking the impact of the biobased product industry on the U.S. economy.

The USDA BioPreferred® Program label encourages consumers to buy products that are generally safer for the environment, their families and communities.

Products with the “USDA Certified Biobased Product” label are derived from raw materials such as plants and other renewable agricultural, marine and forestry materials.

Buying these products allows consumers to do their part to drive economic prosperity for farmers, growers, biobased business owners and innovators and create a healthier planet and more sustainable future for everyone.

For more information about the BioPreferred Program, visit www.biopreferred.gov.