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Federal purchasers are increasingly asked to address the issues of environmental preferability and long-term cost performance. Is a product
automatically environmentally preferable if it has recycled content? Do mainstream products marketed and perceived as "environmentally friendly" perform
better than emerging biobased products? Do environmentally preferable products always cost more? The BEES software tool says, "not necessarily."
The 2002 Farm Bill authorized the creation of a program, known as
BioPreferred, awarding Federal purchasing preference to biobased products. To address the questions of
environmental and cost performance, candidate biobased products will be evaluated by the BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability)
tool, and performance results shared with Federal purchasers. While the BEES tool has been primarily used to evaluate building products to date, its
evaluation methods are applicable to any product, used for any purpose.
Indeed, its database has been updated to include performance data
for the production of a range of major inputs to biobased products, including soybeans, corn, wheat, rice, cotton, canola, potatoes, and wool.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that works with U.S. industry to
develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards, began developing the BEES decision-making tool in 1994. With over
22,000 users worldwide,
BEES has become the most popular tool of its kind in the world. Its power lies in providing understandable, science-based information often lacking
from "green" marketing claims. BEES development has been supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. EPA Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing Program, and NIST.
BEES measures the environmental performance of products by using the
internationally-standardized and science-based life-cycle assessment approach
specified in ISO 14040 standards. All stages in the life of a product are
analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation,
use, and recycling and waste management. Economic performance is measured using
the ASTM standard life-cycle cost method, which covers the costs of initial
investment, replacement, operation, maintenance and repair, and disposal. See
BEES Scores for USDA for an overview of the BEES scoring system and its use in the
Bio Preferred context.
Do you manufacture a biobased product? Would you like your product to be eligible for preferential Federal purchasing? Then submit your product for BEES
evaluation by participating in the BEES Please for USDA program.
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