This Act strengthens the Biobased Markets Program to boost domestic biomanufacturing, increase federal procurement of biobased products, and establish clear labeling standards.
Mark Alford
Representative
MO-4
The Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the U.S. biobased products industry by increasing federal procurement of these items made from agricultural materials. The bill updates definitions, enhances reporting requirements, and mandates training to ensure federal agencies prioritize purchasing biobased goods. Additionally, it establishes a temporary USDA Task Force to coordinate and improve federal support for research, development, and marketing in this sector. Finally, the Act strengthens labeling rules to prevent the misuse of terms like "biobased" and protects proprietary business information during enforcement.
Bio-Jobs Act Mandates Feds Increase Purchasing of Farm-Based Products, Cracking Down on Fake 'Bio' Labels
The newly proposed Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act of 2025 is essentially a major upgrade to the government’s existing plan to buy things made from U.S. farm goods—think plastics, paints, and lubricants made from corn and soybeans instead of oil. The bill is straightforward: it requires federal agencies to annually increase the volume of biobased products they purchase, pushing the government to be a bigger, more reliable customer for these goods. It also includes a major push for stricter enforcement against companies that try to slap a fake "bio" label on their products, ensuring the program actually delivers on its promise to support American agriculture and manufacturing.
The Government’s New Shopping List
If you work in or around agriculture, this bill is setting up a more stable market for your products. The core of the Act strengthens the existing BioPreferred Program by requiring federal agencies to increase their biobased purchasing requirements every single year. This isn't just a suggestion; it’s a mandated increase in the number of contracts or the total volume of products purchased, based on the previous year’s numbers (SEC. 4). This means more demand for things like biobased hydraulic fluid or plant-based cleaning supplies, which could directly benefit farmers and rural manufacturers.
For the federal procurement staff—the people who actually buy everything from office chairs to cleaning supplies—this means new rules. Within two years of the law passing, all relevant contracting officers must complete training on buying these products. Plus, systems like GSA Advantage! and FedMall must be updated to clearly show which products meet the biobased guidelines, making it easier for buyers to hit those new required targets. While this is a headache for agencies that have to update their systems and train staff, the goal is to make sure the government actually follows through on its purchasing commitments.
What’s "Bio" Now? Defining the Green Line
The bill also cleans up the language around what counts as a biobased product (SEC. 3). For instance, it adds new definitions like Bio-attributed Plastic and Bio-attributed Product. This is important because it broadens the scope of what the government can buy, officially recognizing products that use renewable agricultural materials as part of a more complex manufacturing process. It also introduces the term Bioproduct, which serves as a catch-all for both "biobased" and "bio-attributed" items.
Crucially, this Act dramatically tightens the reins on labeling (SEC. 6). If a company uses a "covered term" like "Plant-based Product" or "Bio-attributed Plastic" on its label, that product must meet the exact definitions laid out in the law. Selling or labeling a product incorrectly becomes illegal. This is a huge win for consumers and honest manufacturers, as it means the USDA and the Inspector General will be actively looking for and taking action against businesses trying to greenwash their products with misleading labels. For the companies that were playing fast and loose with the term "bio," the party is over.
Coordinating the Effort and Protecting Secrets
To ensure all these new rules work, the bill creates a temporary Biobased Task Force within the USDA (SEC. 5). This group, led by Rural Development, is tasked with coordinating all the USDA’s efforts—from research to marketing—to make sure the programs are actually effective. They have four years to figure out how to maximize the impact of biobased programs before they sunset.
One interesting administrative detail concerns enforcement: when the government investigates a company for false labeling, the law explicitly requires federal officers to keep any proprietary business secrets or statistics confidential (SEC. 6). This is a practical measure designed to protect trade secrets while still allowing the government to conduct thorough investigations, balancing the need for enforcement with the protection of intellectual property.