To direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to issue guidance for private entities on demonstrating how biobased products meet Department of Defense requirements, and for other purposes.

This bill aims to make it easier for companies that make biobased products—things made using living organisms or processes—to show the military that their products meet its needs. It tells the Department of Defense to publish clear guidance within one year that explains how private companies can prove their biobased products meet Defense requirements. It also orders an independent review to see if current Defense rules shut out biobased options, on purpose or by accident, and to recommend fixes if needed.

In simple terms, this could open the door for more eco-friendly, bio-made materials and technologies to be used by the military, which may help grow new industries and create more choices for Defense purchases.

• Who is affected: Private companies making biobased products; the Department of Defense; Congress gets a report.
• What changes: DoD must publish step-by-step guidance for showing biobased products meet its needs; an analysis will check if current rules exclude biobased products and suggest fixes.
• When: Guidance and the analysis report are both due within one year after the law takes effect.
• Key term: “Biobased product” means a product made by using living organisms to change living or non-living materials.