T10 AM LCA and Business Benefits
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 341-342

(LIP-1117-832391) BEES life-cycle metrics guiding new U.S. Government preferred purchasing program for biobased products.

Lippiatt, B¹, ¹ National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

ABSTRACT- A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) analysis and decision-support software program will play a key role in selection of biobased products that qualify for a major federal green preferential purchase program, according to Federal Register rules published this year by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA guidelines begin a federal government program authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill to require purchase of biobased products containing renewable agricultural materials (including plant, animal and marine material) or forestry materials. Within one year all federal agencies must create a biobased preferred procurement program based on the USDA rules. The USDA will use the NIST Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) tool to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of biobased products using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing approaches, respectively. With USDA and the U.S. EPA support, NIST expanded the BEES program, once primarily used to evaluate building products, to cover products made from soybeans, corn, wheat, rice, cotton, canola, potatoes, wool and other renewable materials. As a result the new BEES program can analyze biobased greases, fuel additives, hydraulic fluids, polymers, industrial solvents, fertilizers, cutting oils and other biobased products. USDA will make BEES environmental and economic performance results available to federal procurement officials when designating product categories for preferred procurement. Once designated, biobased products within those categories must be purchased unless they are not readily available, do not perform as required, or cost substantially more than comparable alternatives. USDA is currently working on plans that will enable manufacturers to apply for a USDA Certified Biobased Product Label for their products. USDA will require BEES analysis for products seeking the labels.

Key words: life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, biobased products, environmentally preferable purchasing