SPRINGDALE, ARK., -- Agrol and Agrol Diamond have been approved to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture certified biobased product label. The label indicates that the products have been independently certified to meet USDA BioPreferred program standards for bio-based content.

Biobased products are those composed wholly or significantly of agricultural ingredients - renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. Bio-based products can help increase U.S. energy independence by reducing the use of petroleum in manufactured products.

Manufactured by BioBased Technologies, Agrol and Agrol Diamond are soy-based polyols used in a variety of polyurethane products including spray foam insulation, carpet padding and automotive seats. Agrol 2.0 - 7.0 has 99% bio-based carbon content, and Agrol Diamond has 86% bio-based carbon content according to the industry-standard test, ASTM D6866.

Agrol polyols have low odor and good color, dependable product quality and are available in a range of functionalities for a variety of uses. Environmentally-conscious manufacturers can decrease their use of petroleum-based polyols by incorporating Agrol.

A Life Cycle Analysis showed that in comparison to petroleum-based polyols, Agrol polyols have lower VOCs and result in a carbon benefit to the environment. Five and one-half pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents are removed or prevented from entering the atmosphere for every pound of Agrol that replaces a pound of petroleum-based polyols.

The USDA certified biobased product label is the second component in the two-part USDA BioPreferred Program. The first part of the program established minimum bio-content standards for a variety of product categories, and then created an online catalog of more than 5,100 qualified products for preferred purchasing by government agencies.

The new label should make it easier for purchasing agents to identify bio-based products and will help increase consumer awareness of these products.