According to the USDA, the seminar is designed for personnel in Federal Agencies and Federal contractor organizations, state and local governments, colleges and universities, and all those who want to learn more about biobased products and the Federal procurement preference for biobased products. Experts who will discuss success stories and best practices include Ed Murtagh of the Office of Operations (USDA), Bill Balek of ISSA (The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association), and USDA BioPreferred Program Manager Ron Buckhalt. To register to this webinar, visit this BioPreferred Seminar Page.

The USDA previously held a webinar on November 1, 2011, to provide an overview on the BioPreferred Federal Procurement Preference Program. Speakers of the seminar entitled “From Awareness to Action: The BioPreferred Federal Procurement Preference Program” were Mr. Buckhalt and Linda Mesaros, the president of Mesaros Associates, Inc., which provides environmental and energy procurement consulting services. The archived webcast is found in this page.

Round 8 – USDA Proposes 13 New Product Categories

The USDA BioPreferred Program is proposing 13 new product categories for federal procurement with the following minimum biobased content as measure via ASTM D6866:

(1) Air Fresheners and Deodorizers – 97%

(2) Asphalt and Tar Removers – 80%

(3) Asphalt Restorers – 68%

(4) Blast Media – 94%

(5) Candles and Wax Melts – 88%

(6) Electronic Components Cleaners – 91%

(7) Floor Coverings (Non-Carpet) – 91%

(8) Foot Care Products – 83%

(9) Furniture Cleaners and Protectors – 77%

(10) Inks

* Inks – News (used primarily to print newspapers) – 32%

* Inks – Printer Toner (powdered chemical for printers with advanced fusing mechanisms and print speeds of 25 pages per minute or greater) – 20%

* Inks – Printer Toner (powdered chemical for printers with standard fusing mechanisms and print speeds of less than 25 pages per minute) – 34%

* Inks – Sheetfed (Black) – 49%

* Inks – Sheetfed (Color) – 67%

* Inks – Specialty (inks used to add extra characteristics to their prints for special effects or functions, e.g. CD printing, erasable, FDA compliant, invisible, magnetic, scratch and sniff, thermochromic, and tree marking inks) – 66%

(11) Packaging and Insulating Materials – 82%

(12) Pneumatic Equipment Lubricants – 67%

(13) Wood and Concrete Stains – 39%

The USDA published the proposed rule in the US Federal Register on September 14, 2011. Public comments were accepted until November 14, 2011.

ASTM D6866 Biobased Content Testing

ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic Inc. provides high-quality ASTM D6866 testing services to the biobased industry with a turnaround time of three to five days. The lab has provided biobased content analysis since the ASTM standard was first published in 2004. The method was developed by ASTM International at the request of the USDA for its BioPreferred Program.

Beta Analytic is not affiliated with ASTM International, the USDA, or the BioPreferred Program.

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Beta Analytic now reports biobased content or renewable carbon content results according to ASTM D6866-11 specifications.

ASTM D6866 Background

The ASTM D6866 standard was developed at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its BioPreferred Program. The USDA wanted to have a standard method that can be used as a tool to verify the biobased claims of the program’s applicants.

The first version of the standard was published in 2004 as “Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Natural Range Materials Using Radiocarbon and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Analysis.” Revisions in 2005 and 2006 were also published but the standard’s descriptive name was left unchanged.

In 2008, the standard was renamed as “Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis.” Technical adjustments made necessitated the release of ASTM D6866-10 last year. The current active standard is ASTM D6866-11.

Other Biobased Content Standards

As of this year, the ASTM D6866 standard has no ISO or CEN standard equivalent although similar methods are currently in various stages of development. The following methods are based on carbon-14 analysis.

ISO 13833: Determination of the ratio of biomass (biogenic) and fossil-derived carbon dioxide – Radiocarbon sampling and determination

This method is specific to stationary source emissions. Developed by the ISO Technical Committee for Air Quality (TC 146/SC1), ISO 13833 is currently at the Inquiry stage as of March 24, 2011.

ISO 16620: Plastics – Determination of the biomass carbon ratio in plastic products and their components

Applicable to plastics, the ISO 16620 is being developed by ISO Technical Committee 61/SC5. As of March 21, 2011, the standard is currently at Committee Stage (30.60 – close of voting/comment period).

FprCEN/TS 16295: Plastics – Declaration of the bio-based carbon content

Currently under approval, this technical specification provides requirements for the declaration of biobased carbon content (including statements and labels) of polymers, plastic materials, semi-finished plastic products, and finished plastic products, including composites. Developed by CEN Technical Committee 249, the CEN/TS 16295 is scheduled for publication in November 2011.

ONR CEN/TS 16137: Plastics – Determination of bio-based carbon content

This CEN technical specification is applicable to monomers, polymers, plastic materials and products. Developed by CEN Technical Committee 249 Working Group 17, CEN/TS 16137 was approved for provisional application by CEN in December 2010 with a validity period limited to three years.

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The USDA BioPreferred Labeling Program for biobased products began accepting applicants on February 21, 2011.

USDA BioPreferred Label Application Process

Application for a USDA BioPreferred Label involves two steps – enrollment to the program and product certification.

Step 1 – Screening of Qualified Participants by the USDA

Participants must first fill out all necessary USDA forms found in the BioPreferred Labeling Program website. The USDA will check if the products listed in the application are qualified. Participants accepted by the USDA will be directed to undergo certification, which includes ASTM D6866 biobased content testing of products or packaging materials.

Step 2 – Certification by ASTM International

The certification program requirements are outlined in the Operations Manual for Biobased Products and the General Operations Manual for ASTM Certification Programs found on ASTM International’s website. Participants are required to fill out the Biobased Participant Agreement and submit it to ASTM for approval. They will also choose a third-party laboratory approved to conduct biobased content testing for the USDA BioPreferred Program.

ASTM D6866 Biobased Content Testing – ASTM International will notify participants when to send representative samples to the selected lab per the certification program requirements. Testing fees are shouldered by the participants. The lab will submit the test results to the participants and ASTM International.

ASTM D6866 Results Review – ASTM International will review the biobased content test results and notify the participants and the USDA whether certification has been approved or denied. The names of manufacturers and their products that have been certified will be listed in the ASTM Directory of Certified Products.

Approved ASTM D6866 Laboratories

ASTM International maintains a list of approved third-party laboratories on its website. All approved laboratories must be accredited to ISO 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories, have demonstrated capability to perform ASTM D6866 testing, and have complied with the ASTM Practice for Documentation and Reporting of Laboratory Results for Biobased Products in accord with the ASTM D6866 method.

Beta Analytic – ISO 17025 Accredited ASTM D6866 Lab

Beta Analytic in Miami, Florida, is one of the laboratories approved by ASTM International to conduct biobased content testing via the ASTM D6866 method. The company routinely submits results within three to seven days after sample submission.

Beta Analytic is not affiliated with the USDA, ASTM International, or the BioPreferred Program.

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Fast Facts:

For details, contact the USDA BioPreferred Program.

Note: ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic offers ASTM D6866 testing. The company is not affiliated with the USDA or the BioPreferred Program.

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The new product categories are disposable tableware, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam recycling products, heat transfer fluids, ink removers and cleaners, mulch and compost materials, multipurpose lubricants, topical pain relief products, and turbine drip oils. These products are part of the sixth round of item designations first proposed by the USDA in February this year. According to the final rule published in the Federal Register on October 18, 2010, qualifying biobased products that fall under these eight newly designated items shall be given procurement preference by federal agencies and their contractors beginning October 18, 2011.

The USDA has already released a list of potential items to be designated under Round 7. The items include animal repellents, bath products, bioremediation materials, compost activators and accelerators, concrete and asphalt cleaners, ointments (for cuts, burns, and abrasions), dishwashing products, erosion control materials, floor cleaners and protectors, hair care products (shampoo and conditioner), interior paints and coatings, lithographic offset inks, oven and grill cleaners, slideway lubricants, and durable and non-durable thermal shipping containers.

Biobased Content Requirements

The USDA has established the following minimum biobased content as measured via ASTM D6866:

(1) Disposable tableware – 72%

(2) Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam recycling products – 90%

(3) Heat transfer fluids – 89%

(4) Ink removers and cleaners – 79%

(5) Mulch and compost materials – 95%

(6) Multipurpose lubricants – 88%

(7) Topical pain relief products – 91%

(8) Turbine drip oils – 87%

The USDA clarifies that disposable tableware exclude cutlery and must be dish ware or drink ware designed for one-time use and made from or coated with plastic resins. Complete definitions of the eight newly designated items are found in the Federal Register Vol. 75, No. 200.

ASTM D6866 Biobased Content Testing

The biobased content of a product reflects how much of it come from biomass or renewable sources. Biomass and other renewable materials have a known amount of radiocarbon. Fossil inputs, on the other hand, have no radiocarbon. ASTM D6866 testing measures the radiocarbon content of a product and reports results as biobased versus fossil content.

ASTM D6866 services provider Beta Analytic recommends, for better credibility and averaging, two measurements per product if the results will be used for the USDA BioPreferred Program and other certification or ecolabels. For research or product development purposes, one measurement is sufficient. For any kind of product market protection or any purpose that may have commercial or legal repercussions, the company recommends three to four analyses per material.

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All certified products under the program undergo ASTM D6866 testing, which determines the biobased content of a product by measuring its radiocarbon (or carbon-14) content. Materials from renewable sources have known levels of radiocarbon in them whereas those from fossil sources have zero radiocarbon. ASTM D6866 correlates radiocarbon content to the percentage of the material that came from renewable sources.

Four-Star Rated Products

NatureWorks LLC (USA) was the first company awarded by Vincotte with a four-star rating for all 40 grades of its Ingeo biopolymer resins. Other products awarded with the highest rating are:

- Telles’ Mirel P1003, a semi-crystalline polyester specifically designed for high modulus injection molding applications;

- Wuhan Huali’s PSM HL-300A, a granulated biopolymer made from corn starch that can be processed in common film blowing, sheet extrusion, and injection molding machinery;

- Arjowiggins Healthcare’s Natural Colors G1 Sterelisation Wraps, which are used as non-food packaging materials.

Since the OK Biobased Program’s launch in 2009, Vincotte has already certified many products including those of Novamont Spa (Italy), Indochien Bio Plastiques (Malaysia), Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co. (China), Wey Hing Industrial Co. (Hongkong), Ter Beke nv (Belgium), and NAPAC Schweiz (Switzerland), among others.

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Measuring the Renewable Carbon Content

The quantity of renewable carbon present in any given product is measured via a standard analytical method called ASTM D6866, which measures the biobased content versus the fossil content of a material by carbon-14 analysis. ASTM D6866 is an application of radiocarbon dating without the use age equations.

Products that are from renewable sources have a well-characterized amount of carbon 14 in them and are 100% biobased. Those products that are purely fossil have no carbon 14 and therefore 0% biobased. Materials with both fossil and renewable inputs have a biobased content greater than 0% but lesser than 100%.

OK Biobased Rating System

The OK Biobased rating system uses stars to indicate the biobased content or amount of renewable carbon in a product. A product with a one-star rating has a biobased content between 20%-40% while those with two stars have biobased content between 40%-60%. Three stars are given to products with 60%–80% renewable carbon, and those with more than 80% biobased content will receive a four-star rating.

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This is the sixth round of item designation for the BioPreferred Program. Round 5 has added 9 item designations and more than 1,000 biobased products to the USDA BioPreferred Catalogue effective October 2010. The USDA will accept public comments on Round 6 item designations until April 12, 2010.

Minimum Biobased Content Requirements

The USDA has also proposed a minimum biobased content for each of the Round 6 Item Designations:

(1) Disposable tableware (one-time-use drink ware and dishware excluding cutlery) must be at least 72% biobased.
(2) Expanded polystyrene foam recycling products – 90%
(3) Heat transfer fluids – 89%
(4) Ink removers and cleaners – 79%
(5) Mulch and compost materials – 95%
(6) Multipurpose lubricants – 88%
(7) Office paper – 95%
(8) Topical pain relief products – 91%
(9) Turbine drip oils – 87%

Source: Federal Register Volume 75, Number 27 (February 10, 2010)

Biobased Content Measurement via ASTM D6866

Measurement of a product’s biobased content is done through ASTM D6866, a standard developed at the request of the USDA specifically for the BioPreferred program. The USDA needed a standard method that could be used as a tool to verify the biobased content claims of manufacturers and vendors who wanted their products listed in the BioPreferred Catalogue.

ASTM D6866 measures the biobased content of a product by quantifying its carbon 14 content. Carbon 14 is a naturally occurring carbon isotope that is present in materials from renewable sources and absent in those that are fossil in nature. Thus, a product’s carbon 14 content can be easily correlated to its biobased content or fraction that came from renewable sources like plants.

Beta Analytic – ASTM D6866 Service Provider

ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic provides ASTM D6866 testing to the biobased industry. Based in Miami, Florida, the company also provides radiocarbon dating services. Beta Analytic is not affiliated with the USDA or the BioPreferred Program.

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Eligible Products

The CCD-170 standard is applicable to waterless hand sanitizers, waterless hand antiseptics, or professional hygienic hand rubs and other antiseptic-containing drug products that are applied on the skin to prevent infection or cross-contamination. The scope of the standard includes “antiseptic-containing preparation designed for frequent application without a water rinse and which reduces the number of microorganisms on intact skin.”

Products not covered by the CCD-170 include disinfectant soaps, hand sanitizing products that require rinsing, patient preoperative skin preparations, surgical hand scrubs, and aerosols or wipes. The use of EcoLogo-certified instant hand antiseptic products is restricted to the “away from home market.”

The CCD-170 Standard

This environmental standard certification criteria document published by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. for the EcoLogo program outlines general and product specific requirements and details substances that should not be part of the formulation. The environmental hazards, performance and safety requirements, labeling requirements, verification, and conditions for EcoLogo Use are also specified in the standard.

The CCD-170 was initiated in March 2009. The final version was first published on February 10, 2010, and is scheduled for review in February 2013. More information about the standard is found here.

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Novamont (Italy), NatureWorks LLC (US), and Wuhan Huali (China) are the first batch of OK Biobased licensees. A list of their products that now carry the OK Biobased logo are found here.

Vinçotte’s OK Biobased program aims to aid manufacturers and vendors make a verifiable claim on their products’ renewable origin. The program, launched in September 2009, initially accepted raw material producers only. As of January 2010, OK Biobased is open to manufacturers and distributors of intermediates and finished products.

About Vinçotte

Based in Volvoorde, Belgium, Vinçotte provides specialised inspection, monitoring and certification services. It has more than 2,000 employees around the world. Its other offices are in France, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Oman, UAE, Algeria, Japan, and India.

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Through BioSpecs, the SBC aims to provide buyers a framework by which they can assess the sustainability of compostable biobased food service ware in all stages of the product’s life cycle – from production to waste disposal (end of product life). By achieving selected criteria in each stage of the cycle, manufacturers can claim recognition for their products at the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, with Gold as the highest level of performance. The three-tiered rating system was developed by the SBC together with the Business-NGO Working Group for Safer Chemicals and Sustainable Materials.

ASTM D6866 in BioSpecs

One of the criteria that must be met to gain a Bronze rating is for the product to contain at least 90% organic carbon, unless it is a cutlery item, which would need at least 70% carbon content. To get a higher rating, a product must be 95% biobased. ASTM D6866 certification is required as proof of biobased content. According to BioSpecs, “documentation must provide the radiocarbon data and explicitly reference ASTM D6866.”

BioSpecs used data from an extensive market survey conducted in 2008 that was participated by 22 compostable food service ware manufacturers. The BioSpecs for Food Service Ware can be downloaded here.

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Canada’s EcoLogo Program requires makers of hand sanitizers applying for its eco-label to comply with CCD-170, the program’s environmental standard for instant hand antiseptic products. Under the standard, instant hand antiseptic products must be at least 73% biobased excluding the packaging.

The 73% value is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program, which requires ASTM D6866 product certification. Hand sanitizer makers applying for an EcoLogo need ASTM D6866 testing to verify the biobased content of their products.

The EcoLogo Program intends to post in its Web site the biobased content of certified products based on the manufacturer’s submitted data. The Program wants the information to be readily available to purchasers and consumers.

The CCD-170’s scope is limited to waterless hand sanitizers, waterless hand antiseptics, professional hygienic hand rubs, or rinse-free antiseptics for frequent application with the desired effect of reducing the number of microorganisms on intact skin. CCD-170 is not applicable to disinfectant soaps, hand sanitizing products that require rinsing, patient preoperative skin preparations, or surgical hand scrubs. Moreover, the standard applies only to hand sanitizers for the “away from home market.”

Hand sanitizers, which are mostly alcohol-based, must not have quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorhexidine gluconate, chloroxylenol, flurosalan, hexachlorophene, phenol, tribromosalan, triclocarban, or triclosan as active ingredients to be eligible for the eco-label.

Full text of the CCD-170 is found here.

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