Packaging
DuPont Among the First Leading Innovators to Receive New USDA BioPreferred Label
Friday 08. April 2011 - DuPont Sorona renewably sourced fiber is one of the first 11 products approved to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) new product label on certified bio-based products.
“This label provides both credibility and visibility to bio-based products and ingredients,” said John Ranieri, vice president – DuPont BioMaterials. “The label helps both government agencies and consumers easily identify and select bio-based products and materials, and we look forward to promoting the label in association with Sorona.”
Bio-based products are those composed wholly or significantly of agricultural ingredients – renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. This new label indicates that the product has been independently certified to meet USDA BioPreferred program standards for bio-based content. Bio-based products can help increase U.S. energy independence by reducing the use of petroleum in manufactured products. They also may reduce the introduction of fossil carbon into the atmosphere, thus mitigating potential climate change impacts.
“These companies are proving that innovation and agriculture can grow together to build a foundation for future growth in rural America as we work to win the future,” said U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “Consumer cleaning products, containers and the intermediate materials used to manufacture them – made from agriculturally sourced ingredients – help add value to commodities, create jobs in rural communities and can reduce our dependence on imported oil.”
Sorona is a renewably sourced polymer used primarily in fiber applications including fiber for textiles used in apparel and home, office and automotive interiors, and fiber for carpet including residential, commercial and automotive carpet and mats.
With the launch of this new bio-based product label, USDAs BioPrefrred program is now comprised of two parts: a bio-based product procurement preference program for federal agencies, and a voluntary labeling initiative for the broad-scale marketing of bio-based products.