On Point: Biobased manufacturing creates Michigan jobs

 U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

Michigan farmers are known for the tremendous diversity of crops our state grows – cherries, apples, blueberries, soybeans, corn, and dairy, to name just a few. But here’s a crop you might not think about: Michigan farmers are growing manufacturing jobs every single day. 

Agriculture and manufacturing are at the heart of our economy and are the foundation for our middle class.  It’s simple: when we make things here and grow things here, we create jobs here. And when we make things here with the things we grow here, it’s even better.

Biobased manufacturing, using home-grown agriculture crops instead of petroleum-based chemicals to make products, is an industry poised to grow and create jobs right here in America. 

At the same time our biobased manufacturers are creating jobs, they are helping the environment and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

This is truly a win-win-win for Michigan. 

That’s why we strengthened support for biobased manufacturing in the bipartisan Farm Bill that passed earlier this year.

In fact, Biobased manufacturing has a long history in Michigan and helped in our first manufacturing revolution in the early 20th century.  Henry Ford was one of the first to recognize the potential of using plant materials in manufacturing.  Having grown up on a farm, Ford experimented with ways that soy-based products could be used in automobiles.

By the 1940s, there were two bushels of soybeans in every single Ford car that came off the line.  Soybeans were used for everything from the paint on the outside of the car to the plastic buttons inside. 

Today, Ford is continuing the legacy of its founder, and in every single new Ford car and truck built in North America, you’re sitting on seats made of soybeans.

But Ford is not alone. Chrysler is using coconut fibers to produce seat back cushions and seat bottoms, and GM is using wood fiber to make flooring and flax to make door panel inserts.

Other Michigan companies are helping to lead the way in this 21st century manufacturing revolution, and some of them were highlighted at my Grow It Here, Make It Here showcase at the United States Senate this week.

KTM Industries of Lansing is creating foam packaging made of cornstarch.  Instead of taking up space in your trash can like regular Styrofoam, you can compost it in your backyard or run it under water in the sink and it melts away down the drain. It’s safe for the environment, it protects your packages during transport, and it doesn’t take up space in the landfill. Even better, it creates jobs here in Michigan — in fact, KTM has doubled their number of employees in the last 12 months!

Lear Corporation, in Southfield, is using a foam material made of soy to create cushioning for car seats. They use renewable soy oil as an environmentally friendly replacement for petroleum, reducing the carbon footprint and improving product price stability while still meeting strict automotive performance standards.

And Fabri-Kal, from Kalamazoo, uses a 100 percent plant-based material to make renewable cups, lids, portion containers and on-the-go boxes. Fabri-Kal is a family-owned business and makes their renewable serving products right here in Michigan.

This is a win-win-win for Michigan: farmers sell more of their crops, businesses create jobs, and it is good for the environment. 

Biobased manufacturing is the next jobs revolution in our country, and one that Michigan is ready to lead.  It brings together Michigan’s top two industries — manufacturing and agriculture — and it creates new opportunities for companies and farmers to partner to continue growing an essential crop right here at home: manufacturing jobs.

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U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) is chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and authored the bipartisan 2014 Farm Bill that was signed into law by President Obama at Michigan State University earlier this year.