WARRENDALE, Pa., April 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SAE International's Green Technology Systems Group will host the "Workshop to Characterize Biobased Materials in Vehicles" in Detroit on Friday, April 15, the day after the close of the SAE 2011 World Congress.

The event will be held at Cobo Center from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Room O2-33.

Dr. Patricia Beattie, chair of the Green Technology Systems Group, said the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified automobiles as complex assemblies. The USDA BioPreferred Program, as it is known, will dictate the standards established by the government for biobased materials use in vehicles.

"The USDA is currently identifying the federal government's purchasing preferences and labeling requirements for biobased materials and products," Beattie said. "This workshop is going to address these standards and we will have speakers who will give various perspectives on the USDA standards. Manufacturers and OEMs who wish to conduct business with the government will need to be attuned to these standards."

Beattie said cooperation between the USDA and the auto sector will be necessary for the future success of such regulations. Examples of automobile biobased components include biobased resins, soy-based resins, bio-fillers in plastic, natural fiber filler in plastics, and sustainable fabrics.

For more information on the workshop, contact Dr. Patricia Beattie at 248-762-8479 or pat@arcasci.com.

SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

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Contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, 1-724-772-8522 or pr@sae.org

SOURCE SAE International