B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

On October 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the availability of a revised draft of the Guide for Submitting Permit Applications for Microorganisms Developed Using Genetic Engineering under 7 CFR Part 340 and a Response to Comments on the first draft of the Guide, published on March 23, 2023. APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) received comments on a range of issues and grouped the comments and its...

The European Commission (EC) announced on October 3, 2023, that it adopted a Recommendation on critical technology areas for the European Union’s (EU) economic security, for further risk assessment with EU member states. According to the EC, the Recommendation relates to the assessment of technology risk and technology leakage. The EC states that the risk assessment “will be objective in character, and neither its results nor any follow-up measures can be anticipated at this stage.” In the...

On September 18, 2023, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) recognized member companies that have been “early adopters” of its Sustainable Feedstocks Initiative, “aimed to drive the use of more sustainable feedstocks in cleaning product ingredients and products throughout the industry.” ACI states that the initiative focused on the top raw materials used in cleaning products. For the purposes of this initiative, ACI defines a sustainable feedstock as “a raw or recycled material...

On September 7, 2023, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report entitled Gene-Edited Plants: Regulation and Issues for Congress. The report notes that the U.S. regulation and oversight of gene editing in plants is facilitated by the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, which involves the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Established in 1986 by the White House...

On September 19, 2023, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report providing an overview of cell-cultivated meat. The report provides an overview of the science of cell-cultivated meat, the industry, the regulatory framework for cell-cultivated meat products, congressional interests, and potential policy considerations. CRS states that cell-cultivated meat is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals. Developing...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on September 14, 2023, that a new process from the University of Wisconsin (UW) - Madison allows chemical engineers to transform plastic waste into “high-value” chemicals, “increasing the economic incentives for plastic recycling and creating novel pathways to recycle new types of plastics.” According to BETO, investigators led by Dr. George W. Huber, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on September 12, 2023, that it awarded $18.6 million in funding for eight university and industry projects to develop biomass feedstocks to produce affordable biofuels and bioproducts that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to BETO, the projects “will create good-paying jobs, support rural economies, and encourage participation of underserved communities, all while putting the United States on a...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 8, 2023, that it is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards from companies or institutions that have developed a new green chemistry process or product that helps protect human health and the environment. EPA states that its “efforts to speed the adoption of this revolutionary and diverse discipline have led to significant environmental benefits, innovation, and a strengthened economy.” The...

On August 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) proposed to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to restructure and update the regulations to focus on current environmental and sustainability matters and to implement a requirement for agencies to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable. 88 Fed. Reg. 51672. Comments are...

On August 3, 2023, the Joint Subcommittee on Environment, Innovation, and Public Health Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team (Sustainable Chemistry ST) of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) published a report entitled Sustainable Chemistry Report: Framing the Federal Landscape. As reported in our January 19, 2021, memorandum, the fiscal year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included the text of the bipartisan Sustainable Chemistry Research and...