B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, announced on February 21, 2024, the release of a position paper calling for “bold ambition, and five core principles to ensure impactful industrial growth.” According to the position paper, “EC Initiative on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Principles for an impactful Europe,” the European Commission’s (EC) forthcoming Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative “is a unique opportunity for the [European Union (EU)] to build...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a February 2024 guidance entitled “Foods Derived from Plants Produced Using Genome Editing: Guidance for Industry.” According to FDA, one purpose of the guidance is to clarify how its 1992 policy statement “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties” (NPV policy) (57 Fed. Reg. 22984) applies to foods derived from NPVs produced using genome editing. The NPV policy provides scientific and regulatory guidance on...

On February 7, 2024, the Library of Congress posted an article entitled “South Korea: Act to Promote Green Bio Industry Published.” According to the article, South Korea published the Act on Promoting the Green Bio Industry (Green Bio Act) on January 2, 2024. The Green Bio Act, which will enter into force on January 3, 2025, “aims to promote the application of biotechnology to agricultural bioresources and increase the added value of agriculture, develop the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on February 22, 2024, the release of a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), “Inflation Reduction Act Funding for Advanced Biofuels,” for up to $9.4 million for the development of advanced biofuels. According to EPA, the funding will support “high-impact biofuel technology projects to improve the performance and reduce the cost of biofuel production technologies, scale up production systems...

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development mission area within U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), issued a proposed rule on January 24, 2024, that would adopt changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). 89 Fed. Reg. 4770. The changes include merging the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (7 C.F.R. Part 3201) and the Voluntary Labeling Program for Biobased Products (7 C.F.R. Part 3202) into...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched enhancements to an online search tool for its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing on January 30, 2024. According to EPA, the search tool makes it easier to view and sort standards and ecolabels that EPA recommends U.S. federal government purchasers use to meet sustainable acquisition goals and mandates. The search tool allows users to identify the types of products or services covered by an...

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has begun publishing a Biomanufacturing Global Series. To date, EuropaBio has published the following one-page summaries, providing information on a country’s policies, targets, and investments:...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on January 11, 2024, that it is awarding $19 million in grants to U.S. business owners to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 22 states and provide “cleaner, more affordable fuel options at gas station pumps as part of President Biden’s Bidenomics agenda to lower costs and invest in America.” USDA is making the awards through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), made possible with funding...

The Law Library of Congress published a November 2023 report entitled Selected Issues in Biotechnology Regulation: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, England, European Union, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan that provides an overview of the main statutes and policies governing selected issues on the development of biotechnology products, particularly those derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO) and genetic engineering....

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on December 20, 2023, that it released a summary report following its June 8-9, 2023, Workshop: Transitioning to a Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics. The workshop, hosted by BETO in partnership with DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and the Climate Pledge coalition, brought together stakeholders from industry, academia, national laboratories, and non-profit organizations...