Category: Biobased Chemicals and Products

September 23, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Danforth Center, "National Science Foundation Supports Stony Creek Colors And Danforth Center Collaboration for Bio-Based Indigo Business Project" ? Business Wire, "Cardolite Corporation Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification For Cardanol Product Line -- a Versatile Building Block for High Performance Biomaterials" ? RSC Bio Solutions, "RSC Bio Solutions Launches First-Of-Its Kind EAL Designed to Improve Performance, Increase Uptime and Enhance System...
September 23, 2016

Biotechnology: White House Releases Proposed Update To The Coordinated Framework And National Strat

On September 16, 2016, the White House posted a blog item, "Building on 30 Years of Experience to Prepare for the Future of Biotechnology" and released two documents intended to modernize federal regulation of biotechnology products. In July 2015, the White House directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for the...
September 21, 2016

Biotechnology: White House Releases Proposed Update to the Coordinated Framework and National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products

On September 16, 2016, the White House posted a blog item, "Building on 30 Years of Experience to Prepare for the Future of Biotechnology," releasing two documents intended to modernize federal regulation of biotechnology products. In July 2015, the White House directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for the future...
September 19, 2016

EPA, FDA, and USDA Release Updates to Coordinated Framework on Biotechnology

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Margaret R. Graham On September 16, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the White House, released two documents that will update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework) that was first rolled out by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in 1986 and updated in 1992. ...
September 16, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? The Hill, "Energy Groups Push For Renewal Of Tax Credits" ? Neste, "Neste and Ikea of Sweden Announce Partnership to Deliver Renewable, Bio-Based Plastics" ? Packaging Europe, "Croda Offers CrodaTherm™ 21 for Temperature Controlled Packaging Applications" ? The University of New Orleans, "UNO Computer Science Faculty Awarded More Than $500k for Vital Research" ? Airforce Technology, "US Air Force to Produce Biofuels for US DoD...
September 16, 2016

BIO Releases Report On Advancing The Biobased Economy

On September 7, 2016, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released the report "Advancing the Biobased Economy: Renewable Chemical Biorefinery Commercialization, Progress, and Market Opportunities, 2016 and Beyond." This report documents substantial growth in the renewable chemical industry, and covers domestic policies impacting renewable chemical commercialization. Policy drivers that are explored include the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the 2014 Farm Bill, draft...
September 9, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Plastics Industry, "100 Percent Compostable Single Serve Coffee Pod Wins International Innovation Award" ? Market Wired, "Seventh Generation Develops EPA Safer Choice Certified Laundry Detergent Packs Mission-Led Household and Personal Care Products Company Introduces New Line Of Solid Laundry Detergent Packs Formulated With Plant-Based Ingredients" ? Synthetic Genomics, "Synthetic Genomics Team Engineers Vmax™, an Advantaged Next-Generation Host Organism for a...
September 9, 2016

USDA Renews Safety Equipment Institute Contract To Manage Biobased Certification Program

On September 1, 2016, the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) announced that it was selected to manage the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Biobased Certification Program for the next five years. SEI is a subsidiary of ASTM International (ASTM), and has previously held the five-year contract with USDA to administer the USDA certification program that labels products as "biobased." This announcement comes on the heels of an update of ASTM's test method (D6866), that...
September 9, 2016

EPA Announces Public Meeting On Algae And TSCA

On September 1, 2016, the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be hosting an "Opportunity for Public Comment on Algae Guidance for The Preparation of [Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)] Biotechnology Submissions." This meeting will receive public comments on EPA's algae guidance document, and will inform the development of EPA's "Algae Guidance for The Preparation of TSCA Biotechnology Submissions"...
September 2, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Growing Produce, "Better Biocontrol Options Becoming Available to Organic Growers" ? Joint Genome Institute, "Expanding the Stable of Workhorse Yeasts" ? Scientific American: ClimateWire, "Engineered Bacterium Turns Carbon Dioxide into Methane Fuel" ? DVIDS, "Fueling The Future: Air Force Title III Program Working To 'Home-Grow' Biofuels for DOD, Industry" ? NEC, "NEC Develops Non-Edible-Plant-Based Bioplastic Featuring the Elegance of...
September 2, 2016

“‘The New TSCA’ — What You Need To Know” Webinar 3 — Inventory, CDR, And CBI (Sections 8 & 14)

Monday, September 12, 2016 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time/11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time/16:00 British Summer Time Register Today Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Chemical Watch have collaborated to present a series of complimentary webinars on the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Webinar 3 -- Inventory, CDR, and CBI will cover: Section 8 Reporting and Retention of Information   Small...
August 26, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Food Navigator, "Gelzen Seeks To Disrupt The Gelatin Market With Potentially Game-Changing Animal-Free Alternative" ? Solegear, "Solegear Awarded U.S. Patent For High Performance Bioplastics" ? Ethanol Producer Magazine, "EU Cannot Ignore Ethanol's High GHG Savings"
August 26, 2016

ASTM International Updates Standard To Determine Biobased Content Of Bioproducts

ASTM International's Committee on Plastics recently approved revisions to standard D6866, Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis. This standard was originally approved in 2004, and is used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) BioPreferred® Program, by EPA when it is determining the sustainability of plastics, and by other corporations using biobased plastics. D6866 is used to determine the percent...
August 19, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Ship & Bunker, "Competitively Priced, ECA Compliant, Sustainable Biofuel Bunkers Will Be a Reality in The Near Future" ? Plastics Today, "New Catalyst Offers a Route to Cost-Effective Biobased, Biodegradable Plastics" ? LabMate, "York Chemists Lead Breakthrough in Carbon Capture" ? Scicasts, "New Protein Process in E. Coli Could Lead to Production of Better Biofuels" ? Neste, "Neste Renewable Diesel to Power County of Sacramento's Fleet in...
August 19, 2016

Lynn L. Bergeson Presents “New TSCA’s Impact On Biotechnology” With The National Academies Of Scienc

On August 2, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C, presented the webinar "New TSCA's Impact on Biotechnology," with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS). This webinar, available for free on the NAS website, includes an overview of TSCA updates resulting from the passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. Ms. Bergeson focused specifically on how these updates could impact the regulation of biotechnology,...
August 12, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Plastics Today, "A Scientific Look At The Value Proposition Of Biobased Plastics" ? MIT News, "Microbial Engineering Technique Could Reduce Contamination In Biofermentation Plants" ? IFAS, "UF/IFAS Study: Sweet Potato Crop Shows Promise As Feed And Fuel" ? UPS, "'Rolling Laboratory' Of More Than 7,200 Alternative Fuel Vehicles Helps Deliver On Sustainability Innovations And Drive Market Adoption" ? Tehran Times, "Italy To Invest $450m In...
August 12, 2016

Notice Of Open Meeting For Biomass Research And Development Committee

On August 8, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee in the Federal Register. The purpose of the meeting is to develop advice and guidance promoting research and development (R&D) for biofuel and bioproducts production. A tentative agenda includes: Update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biomass R&D Activities   Update on DOE, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy...
August 12, 2016

US Environmentalist And Organic Crop Farm Groups Want Overhaul Of Federal Biotechnology Strategy

On August 3, 2016, 24 farmer and public interest organizations wrote to the Obama Administration expressing their disappointment with the direction that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has taken with the proposed modernization of the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework). The letter argues that an overly permissive regulatory framework for genetically engineered (GE) products has resulted in negative consequences, and that GE...
August 5, 2016

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

? Apparel, "Accelerating the Impact of Bio-Based Materials to Improve Apparel Industry Sustainability" ? Lancaster Farming, "USDA Advances On-Farm Biofuel Production" ? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Growing" ? Forbes, "How to Make Biobased Policy Work" ? The Guardian, "Dabbling in Duckweed: Environmental Uses for a Green Menace" ? The Lane Report, "Owensboro Grain Forms Partnership with...
August 5, 2016

Upcoming EC Event Will Focus On Bioeconomy And Biobased Products

Don't miss the upcoming European Commission (EC) Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP) workshop "From bio-waste to bio-based products: the potential for regional innovation development." This Brussels-based session of the KEP Bioeconomy Showcasing Event will present the EC's biotechnology initiative and policy framework, as well as case studies on regional growth of biobased products. This workshop is scheduled for October 11, 2016, as part of the European Week of Regions and...