PEATLESS – Overcoming barriers for the adoption of alternative substrates with less peat content to support the Green Transition in horticulture

The project’s goal is to significantly reduce the use of peat in professional horticultural production systems and in the casing layer of mushroom cultivation. This is a key objective in terms of climate and biodiversity protection.

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Description

Moors are crucial for climate protection because they preserve biodiversity, ecosystem services, and carbon sequestration. In the EU, 50% of moors are degraded, causing environmental problems.

PEATLESS promotes sustainable, local substrates with less peat and monitors the results using digital sensors. Socio-cultural barriers are addressed through educational and dissemination activities, while economic barriers are tackled with feasibility studies and new business models.

The project, involving 11 partners from 4 countries, aims for long-term environmental, economic, and political impacts.

How can we go peat-free in horticulture without compromising on quality or resources? In the PEATLESS project, ZHAW is leading Work Package 1: Understanding sectorial needs and local resources. Their work lays the foundation for finding sustainable alte

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Deputy Projectlead

René Itten

Co-Projectlead

Matthias Stucki, Alex Mathis, Lorenz Rieger

Project team

Carmen Forrer, Dr. Marianne Leupin, Reto Deuber, Dimitri Chryssolouris, Corinna Bolliger, Delia Hürlimann

Project partners

Asociación Profesional de Productores de Sustratos y Hongos de La Rioja, Navarra y Aragón; Inagro vzw; Italian Composting and Biogas Association; Associazione Vivaisti Italiani; EURIZON S.L.; CESENS TECHNOLOGIES S.L.; Agrifood Research and Technology Centre of Aragon; Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Mundo Rural y Medio Ambiente; Public Waste Agency in the region of Flanders (OVAM); Flandern; Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics

Project status

ongoing, started 07/2025

Institute/Centre

Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR)

Funding partner

Horizon Europe