Mosswool: Renewable and compostable sphagnum moss to replace stone wool

Feasible, environmentally friendly alternative to stone wool

Stone wools are currently dominating the hydroponic slab market, especially cultivation of salad and vegetable crops. Stone wool is made of non-renewable rock and can only be downcycled after use. The Mosswool® innovation by Novarbo Oy utilizes renewable and compostable sphagnum moss in hydroponic growing media used in Greenhouses. The biggest benefits of Mosswool® are rapidly renewable raw material and compostability after use on site with normal crop residues, which also lowers total costs for the greenhouse farmers.

How we reached the goals

The project aimed to scalie up production from pilot to demonstration plant scale and upscale customer evaluations at larger commercial greenhouse, developing an investment plan for industrial scale production factory and optimising Mosswool® slabs economically and ecologically to achieve full biodegradability.

Spinverse took on the challenge in providing support in project preparation, including help in defining the scope, matching the call and assisting in the funding proposal writing. After a positive decision from EU Commission, Spinverse supported Novarbo in the project negotiation phase and project reporting

Key takeaways

With Spinverse on their side, Novarbo was able to secure a €2.4 million grant from Horizon 2020 SME instrument phase 2. This funding enables full implementation of the goals and creating a feasible, environmentally friendly alternative to stone wool.

Photo credit: Pete-Jukka Rinteelä