Responsible Innovation Drives Industrial Soy Demand

Checkoff-sponsored research is a homerun for environmentally conscious consumers

Ten years ago, the U.S. Green Building Council pressured wood-product manufacturers to reduce formaldehyde emissions. Instead of waiting for regulations to be made, Columbia Forest Products (CFP) took a proactive approach.

They attended a USB Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) meeting, adopted wood-glue technology from a checkoff-supported project and converted mills to incorporate soy-based glue in production of PureBond™ panels. The panels are sold in home improvement stores for interior applications.  Despite negative response from wood-industry supply-chain partners who did not want to disrupt the status quo, CFP positioned itself as responsibly innovative. As a result, CFP has produced and sold more than 50 million PureBond panels.