At Toledo’s Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), programs go beyond food, towards green, and focus on opportunity. Their clientele ranges from food producers/processors to agribusiness and greenhouses and on to food equipment manufacturers, restaurant and food service companies, and last, but certainly not least, entrepreneurs.

CIFT established the Northwest Ohio Green Products Center (NOGPC) as a regional initiative whose mission is to establish Toledo and northwest Ohio as a leader in the development, manufacture, sale, and use of products that are produced using significant levels of renewable biobased materials.

Another major Green Products Center initiative is their collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred^SM Program, whose goal is to create a preferred market for biobased products and also provide large-scale demonstrations of how well biobased products can perform. Such demonstrations are designed to spur the development of new biobased products and develop alternatives to fossil energy-based products.

The BioPreferred^SM Program, requires the federal government agencies to procure and give preference to biobased products when such products are reasonably available, are comparable in performance to their petro-based counterparts, and are available at a reasonable price. At present over 3,000 items meet the BioPreferred^SM Program standard and include such items as hydraulic fluids to hand cleaners to clothing and containers.

The Green Products Center is focusing on ways to promote biobased industries, especially those in northwest Ohio, that produce green products that qualify to broader market opportunities like the federal government. The Center is also helping companies procure Small Business Administration loans and helping them build sustainable relationships with the federal government.

A similar program to favor procurement of biobased products in also working its way through the Ohio General Assembly. State Senator Karen Gillmor (R-Tiffin) introduced S.B. 131 which recently passed the Senate with unanimous support. The Green Products Center is working with the Ohio Soybean Association to support this legislation. The Ohio BioPreferred^SM purchasing program will help the state "go green" and give an economic boost to research, manufacturing, and agriculture – the number one industry in the state – without costing the state additional dollars.

"During this time of economic stress, we need creative solutions to help fuel our state's economy," Gillmor said. "The combined purchasing power of the state and our public colleges and universities is enormous. This bill will help capture those dollars which the state is already spending and channel them directly back into Ohio's economy."

"The Ohio BioPreferred^SM purchasing program will help grow the bioproducts industry here in Ohio, and in turn help make Ohio soybean farmers more profitable," said Mark Watkins, OSA President and soybean farmer from Hardin County. "Soy-based bioproducts are an important new market for the entire state, and it's exciting to have this great opportunity to increase their usage in Ohio”.

The bill would require the state and public colleges and universities to give purchasing preference to biobased products if the biobased product is comparable in price, performance, and availability. The bill adopts product standards and approved product lists established by the federal government as part of the similar federal BioPreferred^SM purchasing program. It does not apply to the purchase of motor vehicle fuel, heating oil, or electricity.

The Northwest Ohio Green Products Center is a collaborative effort among several partnering organizations to provide the resources, technical assistance and business expertise to regional entrepreneurs or established manufacturers who currently produce, or plan to produce, green or biobased products. As a leader in alternative energy and advancing new technology, coupled with a unique manufacturing base and strong agricultural presence, northwest Ohio serves as a prime location for continued green product development. Collaborators include CIFT, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Growth Partnership, the Bowling Green State University College of Business Administration, the University of Toledo’s College of Business Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Institute, and the Lucas County Improvement Corporation.

The Ohio BioProduct Innovation Center is a Wright Center funded by Ohio Department of Development. OBIC focuses on enhancing Ohio’s leadership position in bioproduct commercialization. A novel market pull model integrates academia in support of comprehensive supply chain collaborations across agriculture, specialty chemical and polymer industry sectors.

As a grassroots organization, the Ohio Soybean Association’s mission is to provide leadership for Ohio's soybean producers in promoting effective policies and legislation to ensure a growing and profitable soybean industry. The Ohio Soybean Association focuses on representing all Ohio soybean producers; encouraging membership of all Ohio soybean producers; generating legislative effectiveness; focusing and uniting producer interests; educating and promoting the soybean industry; and representing Ohio soybean farmers' interests at the national level on the American Soybean Association board.

Links

NWO Green Products Center

Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC)

Ohio Soybean Association (OSA)