Carbon Intensity of Biobased Products

A proposed ASTM International standard for carbon intensity score will help consumers who want to make purchase decisions based on sustainable biobased products. ASTM’s industrial biotechnology committee (E62) is developing the proposed standard.

ASTM International Board of Directors member Rina Singh notes that a carbon intensity (CI) score placed as a seal on a variety of products would be informative to companies who want to use these resources in their supply chain. Singh also notes that a CI score seal would be useful to consumers who want to make informed purchasing decisions about carbon content. Products could include aviation fuels, cereals, meat, milk products, clothing, and more.

“Several groups are working on standards for measuring soil carbon, but we are unaware of any organizations working to develop CI standards that would provide a quantitative and valid seal/certification,” says Singh, executive vice president,

policy, Alternative Fuels & Chemical Coalition. “A standard needs to be developed that provides the basis of a reporting and verification accreditation system.”

Singh says the proposed standard (WK76263) will be used by farmers and ranchers, state and local governments, tribes, and other agricultural producers to determine the CI of the biobased resources they produce or use, as well as the CI of products offered to consumers.

“A reliable standard from a respected authority is critical to provide trust in a seal, but also to allow application of this concept across a broad array of biobased products,” says Singh.