Sustainability

The United Soybean Board (USB) is committed to increasing the supply of biobased products that benefit our nation’s economy and our rural economy, create green jobs, improve the environmental and health impacts and reduce dependence on foreign oil. 

Across the nation, U.S. companies now offer hundreds of biobased products, ranging from cleaning supplies to carpet backing to energy efficient roofing materials, made with ingredients grown right here on American farms. Each year, U.S. soybean growers plant about 75 million acres of soybeans, offering an abundant and rapidly renewable source of ingredients that are helping revitalize U.S. manufacturing. The global demand for soybeans in livestock feed and human food has left an abundant supply of soybean oil for uses in products.

These biobased product choices can curb dependence on foreign oil as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Soy biobased products can also offer environmental and health benefits, such as lower VOCs, less exposure to toxic chemicals as well as irritation from odors, and more.  The United Soybean Board developed a peer-reviewed life cycle profile that documents the many energy and environmental benefits of U.S. soybean farming and processing. At the same time, soybeans offer an ever-increasing source of renewable plant feedstocks for building materials and other products.

U.S. soybean farmers are stewards of the land and care about the health of the land, air and water.  To demonstrate U.S. soybean farmers’ sustainability, the Sustainable Soy Assurance Protocol (SSAP) was developed. The protocol is a certified, aggregate approach to the sustainability performance of U.S. soybean production. The data used is regularly compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other sources.  There are a number of sustainable practices that soy farmers are using such as crop rotation, water management, reduced tillage, nutrient management, pest management, and precision farming.  Through the SSAP and Field to Market – The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, U.S. soybean farmers are demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement of their sustainability record.


Making Cents for Sustainability with Soy-Biobased

By incorporating innovative, biobased solutions into your project specifications, your organization can not only make a bigger impact on your bottom line, but also make a positive environmental impact as well. Learn more here.

 


Life Cycle Profile 

U.S. farmers harvested 76.6 million acres of soybeans in 2010 totaling 3.33 billion bushels.  In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that U.S. soybean growers will produce 3,345 million bushels of soybeans on 78 million acres of land.  The national averages soybean yield is projected at 43.4 bushels per acres, offering both protein-rich soybean meal as well as soybean oil.  It is an abundant supply of food for humans, feed for livestock and ingredients for biobased products.

The United Soybean Board (USB) is committed to increasing the supply of biobased products that benefit our nation’s economy, including creating green jobs; improving the environment and reducing dependence on foreign oil. Through their checkoff, soybean farmers are investing their dollars in research and development of soy biobased products. Soybean farmers are committed to green products and dedicated to sound environmental practices on farms. That’s why the United Soybean Board has a sustainability initiative. Production agriculture has made great strides toward sustainable production and this initiative will promote continuous improvement.