At Barnhardt Natural Fibers Group, we enjoy getting emails from the USDA. When they get in touch it’s usually for a specific reason: to let us know one of our products can now use the USDA-certified Biobased Product Label. In their latest communication, the USDA let us know that our UltraClean ® Comber and UltraClean ® Organic Comber products have, in fact, earned the BioPreferred ® distinction. We consider this an honor for our company—and a boon for cotton customers.
What Does the BioPreferred ® Certification Mean?
The BioPreferred ® label means that a product’s amount of renewable biobased ingredients meets or exceeds levels set by the USDA. Just so you know, biobased products are finished or intermediate materials composed in whole or in significant part of agricultural, forestry, or marine ingredients. The USDA’s BioPreferred ® program was created by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill), and later expanded by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (aka the 2008 Farm Bill). The goal of the program is to grow the purchase and use of biobased products, with the USDA managing the program.
What Does This Mean for Our UltraClean ® Products?
Products that meet the USDA BioPreferred ® program requirements carry a distinctive label that allows for easier identification by the consumer—so going forward, our UltraClean ® products will carry this distinctive label. All biobased amount claims are verified by independent labs and monitored by the USDA, which means consumers can have confidence in the biobased amounts of these approved products, and can make the most informed decisions possible.
What Are the Strengths of Your UltraClean Products?
Our UltraClean ® products—both the regular and organic versions—can best be described as staple cotton products. As a byproduct that is recycled back into nonwoven fabrics, our UltraClean ® products have been processed to remove the micro-fibers that create dusting in processing, which optimizes use on nonwoven lines. These products possess a high level of purity, high wet strength, and high absorbency rate—amongst other attributes—and can be used for a variety of consumer applications.
To learn more about the USDA’s BioPreferred ® program, visit their website or follow their informative Twitter feed. And if you’d like to receive a sample of our UltraClean ® products, please get in touch.