Responsible Innovation Drives Industrial Soy Demand

Jul 15, 2016

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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.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.