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PBPC: Five Years of Advancing the Plant-Based Products Industry
Imagine walking down the grocery store aisle where sustainable, plant-based products and packaging are no longer a niche but a norm. That was the future envisioned by the team behind the Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) five years ago.
In 2019, the leadership of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) recognized an untapped potential for plant-based materials as viable alternatives to fossil-based products. To be sure, plant-based products existed and were already coming to market in increasing numbers five years ago. But the value chain, stretching from American farmers in the field to science-based start-ups leading the charge to manufacturers of all sizes to the end users, lacked a single, unified voice in Washington.
Plant-Based Products Value Chain
In helping launch PBPC, CRA aimed to support biobased innovation across all feedstocks and across the value chain, reflecting its goal of creating a broad, inclusive bioeconomy.
“When we helped establish PBPC, we recognized that the future of sustainable manufacturing required a broader perspective,” says John Bode, President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. “Despite our organization’s focus on corn, we recognized that each plant feedstock has different strengths and no single feedstock operating alone could challenge the status quo. Working together and supporting each other would be a different story – after all, a rising tide lifts all boats.”
This approach has attracted members ranging from innovative startups to multinational corporations, each seeking to advance sustainable, plant-based solutions in the manufacturing sector. The organization now represents stakeholders across the entire value chain, from feedstock suppliers and polymer manufacturers to business-to-business product makers and consumer-facing companies – driving American economic power and jobs.
PBPC is at the forefront of convening discussions critical to the success of the ag bioeconomy. The organization has hosted conferences, including one focused on “Circular Solutions” in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2024, and held virtual Speaker Series events dedicated to furthering dialogue on the plant-based products value chain, highlighting innovation, spotlighting legislative priorities, and educating on global conversations. Additionally, PBPC has provided thought leadership across industry conferences and played an active role in USDA’s first-ever Policy Summit on the Future of Bioplastics. Looking forward, PBPC will take its efforts to the global stage with participation in the COP29 conference, which will feature speaking engagements for PBPC Executive Director James Glueck and PBPC Senior Director for Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Jamaica Gayle.
When the opportunity has emerged to advance the ag bioeconomy through public engagement, PBPC has risen to the occasion and gained new partners along the way.
And thanks in large part to PBPC, federal policymakers and bipartisan leaders on Capitol Hill are taking note of these efforts.
While discussing one of PBPC’s legislative priorities during the House Agriculture Committee’s May Farm Bill markup, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) said, “American farmers have the opportunity to provide agricultural feedstocks to produce bio-based products and promote good paying manufacturing jobs in our country. According to USDA … the US bio-based products industry adds more than $489 billion to our economy and employs nearly 4 million people.”
Landmark Legislative Wins
Since its inception, PBPC has scored significant policy victories in its mission to advance plant-based products in the mainstream. In 2021, PBPC achieved a notable milestone by advocating for federal funding that earmarked critical research for the biobased economy. This move provided policymakers with valuable data about how renewable, plant-based materials can replace fossil-based products, reducing carbon emissions and waste.
Perhaps no legislative effort underscores the importance of PBPC’s work on behalf of the ag bioeconomy more than the work to produce a new Farm Bill. While Congress has worked to advance legislation, PBPC staff has been a fixture on Capitol Hill, educating members of Congress and congressional staff on the importance of two key pieces of legislation: the Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation and Opportunity (Ag BIO) Act and the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act.
The bills, which are both bipartisan and bicameral, have served as critical marker bills for PBPC and its allies throughout the Farm Bill Process.
The Ag BIO Act provides a USDA-led grant program to develop pilot-scale biorefineries in the U.S., helping to foster biomanufacturing, advance sustainable technologies, and encourage domestic production.
Meanwhile, the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act aims to strengthen USDA’s BioPreferred Program to boost biobased products certification as well as federal procurement efforts — a move that helps drive demand across public and private sectors.
The organization has also advocated for uniform terminology for biobased product labeling, modernization of the BioPreferred Program, and the creation of specific NAICS codes for biobased product manufacturing.
As congressional leaders have formulated their Farm Bill plans, key provisions from both pieces of PBPC-supported legislation have been included in bill text, discussed at hearings, or noted in bill frameworks.
PBPC has also been active in discussions on a global treaty to phase out the use of single-use plastics. The negotiations, led by the United Nations, represent a critical opportunity to explain the benefits of bioplastics and the other renewable products offered by the growing list of PBPC members.
PBPC has engaged Federal agencies as steps have been taken to implement the 2022 Executive Order on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, which set a strategy for promoting sustainable, biobased innovations. PBPC ensured that plant-based products were a focus of the order’s goals, establishing biobased solutions as a priority for federal research, development, and procurement.
Another pivotal, early effort: PBPC’s advocacy for the COMPOST Act, a bill designed to support composting infrastructure across the U.S. By collaborating through the U.S. Composting Infrastructure Coalition, PBPC helped ensure the bill’s introduction in Congress. And, the organization pushed to advance the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act through the Senate, expanding recycling and composting infrastructure nationwide. This legislative win coincided with the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of a $100 million investment in its Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program, which included composting initiatives championed by PBPC.
“These legislative and regulatory initiatives represent a growing recognition that sustainable bioproducts have a central role to play in America’s economic success and the future of rural communities,” Glueck noted.
2025 Agenda Takes Shape
“Now, tax policy presents an opportunity for PBPC’s 2025 agenda,” said Glueck.
As Congress considers the expiration of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provisions, PBPC sees an opportunity to advocate for tax policy and incentives that could level the playing field for U.S. biomanufacturing.
“A reliable tax environment and incentives would encourage American companies to invest in bioproduct manufacturing, an essential step to ensuring the U.S. maintains its competitive edge in the growing global bioeconomy,” Glueck added. “The TCJA extension debate is a chance for us to press for tax policies that will help the U.S. biomanufacturing sector thrive. We want to ensure U.S. companies have the ability to innovate and stay competitive on the world stage.”
By securing these incentives, PBPC hopes to drive domestic job growth and support a more sustainable American economy, one where plant-based products are central to consumer choice.
The Farm Bill remains another critical priority, with PBPC pushing for several key provisions in the reauthorization. Currently, terms like “biobased product” and “plant-based product” lack standardization, causing confusion among consumers, manufacturers, and regulators alike and leading to uniform labeling definitions being a top PBPC Farm Bill priority.
PBPC’s push for USDA-led standardized labeling definitions aims to address the problem, bringing clarity and consistency to the marketplace.
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) raised the same concerns during the May Farm Bill markup, noting, “Unfortunately, these are numerous terms used in the labeling and marketing of bio-based products that contribute to confusion among our consumers and our business customers. To prevent inaccurate marketing and to boost consumer confidence, it is very important to provide the marketplace with nationally uniform definitions for bio-based product labeling.”
Another critical component of PBPC’s Farm Bill agenda is the modernization of the BioPreferred Program. This USDA program was created to promote biobased products and encourage federal procurement, but PBPC sees room for improvement.
“By expanding funding, updating product categories, and enhancing reporting and compliance, we can strengthen the program and make it easier for qualifying biobased products to reach federal procurement markets,” Glueck said.
PBPC is also advocating for new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes specific to biobased product manufacturing. Currently, biobased products are captured across broad manufacturing categories, making it difficult to distinguish the industry growth and a challenge for policymakers to assess their impact. Dedicated codes would allow better data collection, making it easier to understand the economic contributions of biobased manufacturing. For PBPC, it’s about visibility and validation — NAICS codes would provide a clearer picture of the industry’s contributions, supporting targeted policy and investment.
In addition, PBPC seeks to create grant programs for pilot-phase biorefineries through the Farm Bill’s Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program.
“American ingenuity and product innovation begin at the bench-scale in a laboratory,” Glueck said. “We’re a world-class leader at that stage. But then, the “valley of death” stymies commercialization. American companies often have to take their inventions overseas to test and run at pilot- and demonstration-scale – a necessary next step to reach the market.”
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) agrees with Glueck’s assessment, noting recently, “This grant program would help incentivize and create the important infrastructure that we need to help our country become a leader in the bio-processing field.”
Additionally, American-based biorefineries would provide essential infrastructure for small producers and startups to further refine and test new plant-based materials before scaling.
The organization’s advocacy is expanding beyond domestic borders. PBPC represents member interests in United Nations discussions on global plastics policy, reflecting the increasingly international scope of sustainability initiatives and biomanufacturing. This international engagement includes participation in discussions about a potential UN-led global plastic pollution treaty.
PBPC’s presence in these talks helps position American biobased innovations as global solutions, giving U.S. companies a pathway to international markets and helping set standards for sustainable products worldwide.
“Our work extends beyond individual policy wins,” Glueck said. “We’re building a framework that supports the entire plant-based products industry, from farmers and manufacturers to consumers and waste management facilities. Every policy victory brings us closer to a more sustainable, circular economy.”
Looking Ahead
As the bioeconomy sector grows, PBPC’s role in shaping policy becomes increasingly critical. The organization’s ongoing work on legislation spanning biorefinery development to composting infrastructure demonstrates its commitment to industry advancement. Through continued advocacy in Washington’s policy discussions, PBPC aims to ensure the plant-based products sector maintains momentum in driving innovation and economic growth.
“PBPC’s strength lies in its broad coalition of members, united by a shared commitment to innovation and sustainable solutions to meet growing consumer demand,” Glueck said. Recent PBPC research showed familiarity with plant-based products among consumers jumped from 56% in 2020 to almost 75% in 2024.
“As consumers seek more environmentally-conscious options and become more aware of the solutions PBPC members offer, we will be at the forefront of making sure the plant-based products industry has a strong policy environment that encourages innovation and bolsters American production capacity,” Glueck added.
Through continued advocacy and collaboration, PBPC ensures that as policy decisions shape the future of sustainable manufacturing, the plant-based products industry’s perspectives are heard and understood in the rooms where decisions are made. Through PBPC’s work, the next five years can offer the plant-based products industry continued growth and increased awareness from when the organization first started five years ago.
Join our growing group of plant-based leaders working toward a more sustainable economy. Learn more about the benefits of PBPC membership.