TAMPA, Fl. Black Diamond Coatings, Inc. was notified on Thanksgiving Day that they are now part of a particularly exclusive group, being one of five companies nationwide in their field, to earn the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Certified Biobased recognition verified that the amount of Black Diamond Coatings' bio-renewable ingredients meets or exceeds levels set by USDA in the wood and concrete sealers category for its PRO TECH SERIES line of sealers. "We are excited to receive this recognition from the USDA," said David Warren, president of Black Diamond Coatings. "This certification will allow us to see a significant increase in our growth projections in 2016 by now being eligible to supply our products to government agencies and their contractors that have mandatory biobased purchasing requirements."
Black Diamond Coatings has more than double the number of Certified Biobased products available than any other company within this category. USDA requirements within the wood and concrete sealer category mandate a minimum of 11 percent biobased ingredients, while Black Diamond Coatings' PRO TECH SERIES sealers were certified at a remarkable 50 percent.
Biobased products are created from the renewable resources of agricultural, marine, and forestry materials. These products provide consumers an alternative to conventional and non-renewable petroleum-based products. Federal purchasing requirements of biobased products are included in solicitations, blanket purchase agreements, specifications, and contracts. The government spent more than $400 billion on such contracts in 2014.
In the near future, the USDA Biobased Label will appear on the entire line of PRO TECH SERIES sealers manufactured by Black Diamond Coatings. These include the SG+‚ LG+‚ and NG+‚ for concrete and masonry, the STONE+‚ for natural stone surfaces and the WOOD+‚ for wood surfaces.
"We are proud that Black Diamond Coatings, Inc. has earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label," said Ron Buckhalt, USDA BioPreferred Program Manager. "Biobased products add value to renewable agriculture commodities, create jobs in rural communities and help our nation decrease its reliance on foreign-sourced and non-renewable petroleum."
Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the BioPreferred® Program was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and later reauthorized and expanded as part of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill).
About USDA BioPreferred: The USDA BioPreferred program was created by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill), and expanded by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill). The purpose is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. The United States Department of Agriculture manages the program. Products that meet the USDA BioPreferred program requirements carry a distinctive label for easier identification by the consumer. To learn more about the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label please visit http://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/pages/AboutBioPreferred.xhtml, and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BioPreferred.