US Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced
H.R. 5873 – the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 – which would modify the
definition of “biobased” materials to specifically include forest
products in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biobased Markets
Program.

“Reps.
Thompson and Schrader are to be commended for introducing much-needed
legislation to clearly define paper, wood, and pulp products as qualifying
biobased materials for the USDA’s Biobased Markets Program,” said American
Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman. “Much like
its Senate companion, S. 2346, H.R. 5873 has broad, bipartisan support. Paper
and wood are among the most ‘biobased’ products made in the United States, and
we believe they should be recognized for those inherent properties and not
arbitrarily excluded from participation in a program identifying products as
biobased. We urge passage of this bill to help protect our industry and the
good-paying American manufacturing jobs it provides.”

The
Biobased Markets Program (also referred to as the BioPreferred program) was
originally enacted as part of the 2002 Farm Bill to increase the identification
and use of biobased products. The program is comprised of two separate
initiatives: Product Labeling, which allows companies to affix certification
labels to products the agency identifies as biobased, and a Federal Procurement
Preference, which gives preference to pre-selected biobased products for
purchase by the federal government.

Under the
current implementation guidelines, many paper and wood products that have up to
100% biobased content are not considered biobased, while products with as
little as 25% biobased content are recognized.

H.R. 5873
clarifies that USDA should recognize forest products as biobased and will
ensure a competitive marketplace for all products with biobased content,
including “pulp, paper, paperboard, pellets, and wood products” and
“any recycled products derived from forest materials.”