Celebrated March 8, National Biobased Products Day is your chance to shine a spotlight on innovation and the economic benefits of the U.S. bioeconomy. It’s all about showcasing biobased products—what they’re made from, how they’re created, and the benefits they bring.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) event aims to amplify the amazing work happening across the bioeconomy to support rural communities and grow U.S. manufacturing and jobs.

Biobased products that are not used as food, feed, or fuel are eligible to participate in the BioPreferred Program provided they meet one or more of the Criteria for Demonstrating Innovative Approaches and the product’s biobased content meets the applicable minimum. The BioPreferred® Program has two major initiatives: mandatory federal purchasing and voluntary labeling.

Through the Voluntary Labeling Initiative, companies may apply for certification to display the USDA-Certified Biobased Product label on a product that states its third-party tested and verified biobased content. The purpose of this label is to make it easy for consumers to locate and compare biobased products for purchase. 

Numerous cleaning products and other supplies used by custodial services are USDA-Certified Biobased Products. To see a complete list of USDA-Certified Biobased Products, click here.

Late last month, lawmakers at the Wisconsin State Capitol proposed to raise the state’s minimum wage to US$15 per hour with a scheduled path to reach $20 per hour by 2030.

Under this bill, the minimum wage would increase to $15 per hour upon enactment, then rise by $1.25 annually until it reaches $20 per hour in 2030. After that, it would be indexed to inflation. 

The proposed bill would also allow local municipalities to pass a higher local minimum wage, something that is currently outlawed in the state, the Center Square reported. The bill provides small business owners, who employ 50 or fewer workers, more time to transition to the new wage floor, Urban Milwaukee reported.

Wisconsin’s minimum wage matches the federal minimum wage and has remained the same for 17 years at $7.25 hourly, a CBS news affiliate reported. Wisconsin’s minimum wage is lower than the minimum wages in neighboring states of Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.

The Wisconsin State Assembly had what was expected to be their final session of the year, so it’s not likely this bill would be taken up this year. However, with Democrats having a chance to win control of one or both chambers after this upcoming election cycle, this could be one of the proposals pushed in 2027.

As CMM previously reported, U.S. families residing in half the nation must earn $30 an hour, or roughly $53,000 per year after taxes, to maintain a living wage.