INDUSTRY PLANS TO REDUCE PEAT
Manufacturers unveil new compost products and their road map for future action
Gardeners can look forward to a wider range of peat-free and reduced use of peat in composts from next year as manufacturers strive to reduce the amount they use in their products.
Producers have been working on methods and techniques to reduce their dependence on peat, the tried and trusted mainstay of growing media for decades, by introducing ingredients such as wood fibre, milled bark, composted green-waste and coir. Lobbying by environment and conservation bodies, growing public concern and a voluntary government target to phase out peat in growing media by 2020, which wasn't met, has helped intensify activity.
Most companies are actively striving to reduce the amount of peat they use or even eradicate it altogether. Bord na Móna, one of the biggest players in the market, has launched the Happy Compost peat-free brand, with six products made from bark, green compost, wood fibre and coir.
Another major player, Westland Horticulture, boosted the use of non-peat materials from 38 per cent to more than 70 per cent this year and also plans to reduce the amount of peat in its multi-purpose with John Innes range, to achieve an overall 80 per cent reduction by autumn 2020.
Its peat-free New Horizon range uses a mix of wood fibre, composted bark, worm compost and coir, but no green waste, a long-standing company policy. Manufacturers are striving to ensure new peatfree or reducedpeat products provide users with high standards of performance and are consistent in terms of quality and structure. The shift away from peat has also opened the door for many smaller manufacturers offering alternatives, such as Dalefoot from Cumbria, whose products are based on composted sheep’s wool and sustainably harvested bracken and whose products are being increasingly stocked by retailers.
“It has taken years to overcome short-term decisions by many suppliers to introduce poor quality peat alternatives in the early 2000s,” said Westland marketing director Keith Nicholson. “Only now are we regaining the trust of the gardener.”
"There’s not enough raw material out there to go peat-free for the whole industry," said Steve Harper, head of commercial and marketing for Bord na Móna and chair of trade group the Responsible Sourcing Scheme (RSC), which is looking at the environmental credentials of potting compost ingredients. “The price of potting composts has come down over the years. People will have to pay a premium to go peat free.”
The RSC is currently working with another trade body, the Growing Media Association (GMA), which collectively produces 90 per cent of UK compost products, to improve the labelling on packaging so consumers can make an informed choice. The aim is to roll out a responsible sourcing guide to the public by 2021.
The GMA has commissioned Coventry University to run a research project to look at how the industry can reduce the use of peat to zero within a manageable timescale and identify barriers that might affect
change. Results are expected in 2020. The group will also spearhead work on how the quality of recycled green waste can be improved so it can achieve its full potential when used in growing media.
Plastic used to bag composts is also coming under scrutiny, with many manufacturers boosting the amount of recycled plastic in wrapping to 30 per cent, the maximum currently possible. Work continues to increase this to 40 per cent.
■ The benefits of going peat-free - see page 8.