8.1.2024
Novarbo's acrotelm and wood fiber received RHP certification
RHP, the organization overseeing the quality of growing media in Europe, has certified Novarbo's acrotelm and wood fiber, both of which are renewable raw materials for growing media. Based on research and inspections conducted by RHP, Novarbo meets the requirements for the RHP quality mark. Following approved analyses and audits, Novarbo's products have been awarded the RHP quality mark. Products bearing this mark are safe, reliable, fit for their purpose, and can be traced back to their raw materials.
Novarbo's acrotelm and wood fiber are manufactured in Biolan Group's new biofiber factory, a globally unique production facility for growing media. Both acrotelm and wood fiber are seen as crucial raw materials for growing media in the future, especially as alternatives to peat are sought. Wood fiber is an ecological and rapidly renewable raw material that adds porosity to growing media. Acrotelm, a rapidly renewable bog biomass, consists of the actively growing surface layer of the bog, including mosses, grasses, shrubs, and other surface vegetation. Its thickness can vary from 10 centimeters to several tens of centimeters. When harvested from the surface of the bog, acrotelm regenerates in 10−20 years.
Biolan Group is also involved in a research project that explores the possibilities of growing acrotelm. The goal is that the acrotelm used as a growing medium could in the future be cultivated on already drained bogs. This is part of Biolan Group's responsibility work, where we want to find solutions alongside peat with the help of the circular economy and renewable raw materials.
RHP monitors the quality of growing media in Europe
RHP has been a European expertise center for growing media since 1963. RHP-certified growing media provide an optimal foundation for cultivation. The RHP quality certificate enhances confidence that the growing medium meets quality requirements, including pH, electrical conductivity, and nutrients.
The quality certificate also provides added assurance that the growing medium is clean and can be used without risks to the crop. The effectiveness of the RHP quality certificate is based on the monitoring of the entire supply chain of growing medium products, with RHP overseeing the quality of growing media from raw material production, through processing, to the end-use by the farmer.