Biobased Content

A product or material derived from plants or other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials. Biobased products generally provide an alternative to conventional petroleum derived products and include a diverse range of offerings such as lubricants, detergents, inks, fertilizers, and bioplastics. Biobased materials can also capture carbon as part of their life cycle. Using them in buildings will store the carbon in place, preventing it from returning to the atmosphere for the life of the building. This potential is maximized by the use of rapidly renewable resources or agricultural waste streams. See the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred program for more information.

Read up on bioenergy basics from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Click the link below for more information on bio-based products and their selection.

WBDG.org | Sustainable Design Objectives

CarbonNeutralCities.org | Embodied Carbon and Bio-based Materials Factsheets