What is a biobased product?

It is a new category of green product that is defined by the 2002 Farm Bill as a product that is made of biological products, renewable agricultural materials  or forestry materials.

To promote these products the USDA has create a new label to make it easier for consumers to identify a biological product. They call this new label BioPreferred.

There are approximately 60 different BioPreferred products now on the market.

Here’s a list of supplying companies:

Nutek Green, a division of Hoover, Inc., (Glenwillow, Ohio); Seventh Generation (Burlington, Vermont); Betco Corp. (Toledo, Ohio); Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, Illinois); DuPont Corporation (Wilmington, Delaware); ElastiKote (Akron, Ohio); Green Earth Technologies (Celebration, Florida); National Industries for the Blind Agencies (Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis, Missouri and Travis Association for the Blind, Austin, Texas); NatureWorks LLC (Minnetonka, Minnesota); Rochester Midland Corporation (Rochester, New York); Bio-Lub Canada (Quebec, Canada).

There are success stories that demonstrate that Biobased products do work.

CLICK HERE  to read about a soy base carpet.

CLICK HERE to read about soy based ink that my green printer uses in publishing my books.

This type of labeling is a best practice called “Prove It, Conclusively.”

It is a huge marketing challenge to convince a customer to switch their product loyalty and try something new.

One key path for achieving this result is to “prove it, conclusively” that your new product is authentic and a superior value.. When Clorox launched their GreenWorks green cleaning product that was the first in the industry to achieve $100 million in annual sales they had SIX different certifications or affinity group alliances surrounding their new brand! Gaining third party certifications like that offered through BioPreferred is a MUST DO if your company is going to succeed in launching a new green product.

Bill Roth is the founder of Earth 2017 that focuses upon the emerging smart, healthy and green economy. His book, The Secret Green Sauce, profiles best practices of businesses making money going green.

Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker

57% of consumers mistrust green claims made by companies.

59% expect any green claim to be backed up with facts.

75% wish companies would do a better job helping them understand the environmental terms they use.

This lack of consumer trust and their thirsting for more information is creating a sea-changing marketing opportunity for companies that can break-through this consumer confusion by offering the facts and analysis consumers are seeking.

Number One, consumers want to see a third party documentation or certification of a green claim. This is the best practice I call PROVE IT, CONCLUSIVELY!

This strategy was actually pioneered by Clorox in their launch of Green Works, the first green consumer product to gain $100 million in annual revenues.

The strategy is to identify what third parties your customer respect and trust. And then win from these third parties their endorsement.

Bill Roth is the founder of Earth 2017 that focuses upon the emerging smart, healthy and green economy. His book, The Secret Green Sauce, profiles best practices of business making money going green.