Each year on March 8, we celebrate Biobased Products Day—a national recognition of the innovation, environmental benefits, and economic impact of products made from renewable agricultural resources. Established in the 2018 Farm Bill, the day highlights the importance of the USDA BioPreferred® Program and the rapidly expanding marketplace for products derived from plants and other renewable materials.
For those of us working at the intersection of agriculture, clean air, fleet operations, and sustainability, Biobased Products Day is more than a symbolic observance. It’s a reminder that many of today’s most practical, scalable solutions begin not in a laboratory, but in a field—often a soybean field.
Why Biobased Products Matter
Biobased products are commercial or industrial goods composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients—renewable plant, forestry, marine, or animal materials. Unlike petroleum-based products, biobased alternatives offer measurable benefits:
- Reduced reliance on fossil fuels
- Lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions
- Support for American farmers and rural economies
- Improved air and water quality
- Safer conditions for workers and building occupants
Through federal procurement preferences and third-party certification, the USDA BioPreferred® Program has helped drive demand and awareness. Today, thousands of certified products are available across industries ranging from transportation and construction to custodial services and industrial manufacturing.
At the center of many of these innovations is one remarkably versatile crop: the soybean.
The Connection to Soybeans
Soybeans are best known as a source of protein for food and animal feed. But soybean oil has become a foundational building block for biobased fuels and products. Its chemistry makes it particularly well suited for lubricants, polymers, surfactants, rubber compounds, asphalt rejuvenators, cleaners, and more.
When we expand markets for soybean oil through biobased products, we strengthen domestic crush capacity, increase demand for U.S. agriculture, and create additional value streams for farmers. Every new industrial use for soy helps reinforce rural economies while reducing dependence on imported petroleum.
Biobased Products Day recognizes this powerful link between agriculture and innovation.
Biobased Products in Action
Across industries, companies are demonstrating that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand.
Goodyear has incorporated soybean oil into tire formulations to replace petroleum-derived oils traditionally used in rubber compounds. Soy-based compounds help improve flexibility in colder temperatures and enhance tread performance, while reducing petroleum use. For fleets—whether transit systems, school districts, or heavy-duty trucking operations—this innovation supports American agriculture without sacrificing durability or safety.
SoyFoam offers a soy flour–based, fluorine-free firefighting foam designed as an alternative to traditional PFAS-containing foams. As environmental and health concerns around PFAS continue to grow, soy-based chemistry provides a safer pathway for fire suppression training and emergency response while helping protect groundwater and firefighter health.
BioSpan Technologies produces soy-based asphalt rejuvenators that restore aged pavement by penetrating and rebalancing the binder. This extends pavement life, reduces the need for full reconstruction, lowers lifecycle emissions, and saves taxpayer dollars. For public works departments, it represents a practical sustainability upgrade for infrastructure maintenance.
Renewable Lubricants manufactures high-performance, soy-based hydraulic fluids, greases, gear oils, and metalworking fluids. These products provide excellent lubricity, high flash points, and biodegradability—often outperforming conventional petroleum products. For fleet maintenance operations and industrial facilities, switching to biobased lubricants can enhance equipment life while improving worker safety.
GearHead soy-based fifth wheel grease pucks offer heavy-duty lubrication for tractor-trailer connections while reducing environmental contamination and simplifying application. It’s a small operational change with meaningful environmental benefits for trucking fleets.
Trick Shot produces soy-based penetrating oils, cleaners, and lubricants that reduce reliance on harsh petroleum solvents. These products can lower volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure, improve indoor air quality, and create safer maintenance environments.
Even recreation and landscaping have embraced soy innovation. SYNLawn integrates soybean oil into the backing of its artificial turf systems, reducing petroleum-based plastic content while maintaining durability and performance for parks, playgrounds, and athletic facilities.
And these are just a few examples. SoyBiobased.org features hundreds of certified products including graffiti removers, paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, dust suppressants, concrete form release agents, floor cleaners, and more—many designed specifically for fleet and facility applications.
From Field to Facility
What makes Biobased Products Day especially meaningful is the supply chain connection it represents.
A soybean planted in the Midwest may be crushed into oil, processed into a lubricant or polymer, manufactured into a tire or asphalt treatment, and ultimately used by a city fleet, airport, school district, or manufacturing plant. That single crop supports farmers, truck drivers, processors, engineers, facility managers, and sustainability professionals.
Biobased purchasing decisions ripple through the economy. They support domestic agriculture, strengthen rural communities, and reduce lifecycle environmental impacts—all while delivering real-world performance.
A Call to Action
Biobased Products Day is both a celebration and a reminder. The products exist. The performance is proven. The economic and environmental case is strong.
Public agencies, private fleets, universities, contractors, and facility managers can take practical steps today:
- Review petroleum-based products currently in use
- Identify certified biobased alternatives
- Engage suppliers about soy-based options
- Track safety, environmental, and performance benefits
From soybean-based tires and firefighting foam to lubricants, asphalt rejuvenators, cleaners, and turf systems, the solutions are already here.
The next time you drive past a soybean field, remember: it’s not just producing food. It’s producing the building blocks of safer workplaces, stronger rural economies, cleaner air, and a more sustainable future. That’s why we celebrate Biobased Products Day every March 8th!
Learn more about soy biobased products at SoyBiobased.org. Learn about the USDA’s BioPreferred program and certified products at BioPreferred.gov.
Image Credit: Pixabay – kurtbecker1