Hort2theFuture

Developing and Promoting Peat-Free Solutions for Gardening

The horticultural production systems in Europe face numerous sustainability challenges that need to be addressed. These include continued reliance on peat as a growing medium and the related commercial & environmental drawbacks of existing alternatives to peat; inefficient and inappropriate use of agricultural inputs (production resources); and sub-optimal soil health due to unsustainable management practices.

The project Hort2theFuture aims at finding commercially appropriate solutions with the potential to be upscaled that can support the adoption of more soil-friendly practices in horticulture, including the use of alternative growing media. In particular, the project will focus on:

• Developing a methodological framework and tools for effective sustainability and lifecycle analysis
• Commercialising sustainable alternatives to peat as growing media
• Upscaling novel products and processes for reducing the use of inputs (fertilisers, pesticides, water, energy, growing media) in horticultural production systems
• Increasing the commercial adoption of novel products and management tools for improving soil structure and mitigating soil compaction
• Fostering behavioural change toward more sustainable and soil friendly horticulture in living labs and other actions.

Through working on these objectives, the Hort2theFuture project will accelerate progress toward achieving the EU-Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe, in particular the objectives of “conserving and increasing soil organic carbon stocks”, “reducing soil pollution and enhancing restoration”, and “improving soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops”.

The CSCP will lead tasks related to introducing and enhancing behavioural change toward more sustainable horticultural practices among amateur gardeners in Europe. As part of this work stream, the CSCP will establish three living labs in Germany, the United Kingdom, and North Macedonia.

In each lab, the products developed in upstream activities will be tested with end-users, collecting their feedback and passing it on to producers of peat-free soil as well as using it to inform the policy level.

The project is funded by the European Commission and will run until summer 2028. The project coordinator is the Copenhagen Business School. The CSCP and 27 other partners amongst Europe are part of the project consortium.