CLEVELAND, OHIO—Sherwin Williams is in the process of developing new, biobased paints using soybeans. Because of the potential for biobased products to create new markets for soybeans, U.S. soybean farmers have invested millions of dollars to research, test and promote soy biobased products.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is excited about the potential for this growing industry and visited the Sherwin-Williams John G. Breen Technology research facility in Cleveland on March 16 to highlight how the biobased products industry is creating new economic opportunities for Ohio agriculture. Vilsack was joined at the event by Ohio U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Chris Connor, Chairman and CEO of the Sherwin-Williams Company.
“The biobased products sector marries the two most important economic engines for rural America: agriculture and manufacturing,” said Vilsack. “Ohio has an emerging biobased-manufacturing industry, with nearly 150 companies already producing biobased products. Using agricultural commodities grown by farmers, right here in the Midwest, Ohio has the potential to lead the nation in the creation of new biobased products and create sustainable economic opportunities for the entire region.”
In manufacturing the new paint formula, Sherwin-Williams has used 320,000 pounds of soybean oil, 250,000 pounds of PET, and eliminated 1,000 barrels of oil. The company’s continued evolution and expansion of the Sherwin-Williams technology has the potential to eliminate millions of pounds of VOC emissions while supporting the recycling of multi-million pounds of PET each year.
BioOhio Highlighted During Visit
Secretary Vilsack also highlighted Ohio’s state program, BioOhio, which is similar to USDA’s BioPreferred program. The label initiative, launched in January 2011, is a voluntary USDA product certification and labeling program for qualifying biobased products. The label identifies biobased products made from renewable resources and promotes the increased sale and use of these products in the commercial market and for consumers.
In January, 2011, The United Soybean Board (USB) said it wanted to see the new Federal “USDA Certified Biobased Product” label on the hundreds of soy-based bioproducts the soybean checkoff has helped introduce over the last two decades.
“Soybeans can be found in a wide variety of biobased products already available in the marketplace, including paints, foams and plastics,” said Dale Profit, United Soybean Board New Uses Committee, vice chair. “The USDA Certified Biobased label will help buyers identify these products so they can be easily incorporated into homes and businesses both here in Ohio and throughout the U.S. In addition to using a renewable resource, demand for biobased products also creates economic growth, increases our energy security and provides new market opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers.”
The USDA BioPreferred Program is celebrating its first year anniversary of the USDA Certified Biobased label. Nearly 600 products have been certified and close to 1,000 are in the application process. All biobased content claims are verified by independent labs and monitored by the USDA.
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