The use renewable raw materials for growing media in 2030

Added on 27 November 2023

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The use renewable raw materials for growing media in 2030

Photo Courtesy of WUR

With the Covenant on the Environmental Impact of Potting Soil and Substrates, fourteen organizations agreed last year to gradually increase the use of renewable raw materials and to only use certified peat. The Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research was closely involved in the development of this agreement, including the provision of data. An inventory of renewable raw materials will be published in the spring of 2024, as well as substantiation to agree on percentages of renewable raw materials in the professional market in 2030.

The use of peat in potting soil and substrate is under discussion. Fourteen organizations, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the TurfVrij Action Group and the Association of Potting Soil and Substrate Manufacturers of the Netherlands (VPN), therefore agreed on the Covenant on the Environmental Impact of Potting Soil and Substratesin 2022, containing a step-by-step plan for increasing the level of renewable raw materials. The first consultations for that agreement took place at WUR in Wageningen, facilitating the meeting and providing important dates.