The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has certified Kreussler's SolvonK4 dry cleaning solvent as biobased product. Such products are derived from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials, giving an alternative to conventional petroleum-derived products. SolvonK4 is 88 per cent biobased and can now display a unique USDA label.

The unique USDA label highlights the percentage of biobased content.

Third-party verification for a product's biobased content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred Programme, an initiative created by the 2002 Farm Bill (and most recently expanded by the 2014 Farm Bill). One of the goals of the BioPreferred Programme is to increase the development, purchase, and use of biobased products.

The USDA Certified Biobased Product label displays a product's biobased content, which is the portion of a product that comes from a renewable source, such as plant, animal, marine, or forestry feedstocks. Utilising renewable, biobased materials displaces the need for non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals.

Biobased products, through petroleum displacement, have played an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global climate change. Biobased products are cost-comparative, readily available, and perform as well as or better than their conventional counterparts.

Richard Fitzpatrick, vice president of Kreussler, said, "Being the first and only dry cleaning solvent on the market with the USDA BioPreferred label provides credibility and visibility to Kreussler's commitment to our client's needs and the environment. This new BioPreferred label indicates that SolvonK4 has been independently certified to meet the USDA BioPreferred programme standards for biobased content. Having the BioPreferred label from the USDA is an important distinction for SolvonK4 and the SystemK4 dry cleaning process and Kreussler is proud of this achievement."

"We applaud Kreussler for earning the USDA Certified Biobased Product label," said Kate Lewis, USDA BioPreferred Programme. "Products from Kreussler are contributing to an ever-expanding marketplace that adds value to renewable agriculture commodities, creates jobs in rural communities, and decreases our reliance on petroleum."

According to a report that the USDA released in 2016, biobased products contributed $393 billion to the US economy in 2014 and support, directly and indirectly, 4.2 million jobs. In this report, the research team estimated petroleum displacement of up to 6.8 million barrels in 2014. The increased production of renewable chemicals and biobased products contributes to the development and expansion of the US bioeconomy - where society looks to agriculture for sustainable sources of fuel, energy, chemicals, and products. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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