Feasibility study for the introduction of certification of peat products as a way to promote the wise use of peatlands

Grant Agreement nr. WGP1 34 GPI 9d

Agreement holder: Stichting RHP

Country/region: Baltics/Europe

Activity period: 01/01/2002 – 30-06-2002

Objectives and results:

Main objective: To assess the potential of certification of peat products as a tool in achieving wise use of peatlands as defined by IPS and IMCG and to develop certification standards of peat products used as a substrate in gardening and in horticulture .

1. The aim of the project is to promote wise use of peatlands through establishing criteria, indicators and standard of performance acceptable for consumers of peat products which can become a market tool for the peat industry using peat as a substrate for horticulture and gardening.
2. To elaborate a multistakeholder scientific paper on certification of peat products
3. To assess the willingness of peat certification with the peat industry
4. Establish contacts between exporters in the Baltics and the Dutch importing peat industry as an example.
5. To assess the possibility to bring together the main stakeholders from the Netherlands and the Baltic states to discuss pro’s and con’s of certification in achieving the wise use of peatlands. These stakeholders include representatives from the peat mining industry, trade organisations, government and non government organisations in the field of nature protection, policy making and trade.

Achieved:

1. As a result of the project’s activities, the peat industry (producers of peat substrates for horticulture in The Netherlands and their counterparts in the Baltics) have expressed their willingness to consider voluntary certification as a marketing option for the sector.
2. The Dutch trade has invited the Baltic producers for discussions on voluntary peat certification
3. As a result of invitation of the Dutch trade, the Baltic producers responded with an invitation to the Dutch trade to discuss voluntary certification of peat products. To this end a paper was prepared for the meeting of the Forum of Peat Producers of the Baltic States.
4. A baseline paper on the issue of certification of peat products was prepared. This paper reflects the expertise of experts of the peat industry, peat conservation experts and experts in the field of certification The draft paper will be published by the IPS Symposium on Peat in Horticulture (Pärnu, Estonia, 3-6 September 2002).

The project has made significant progress in promoting voluntary (!) certification of peat products by both the producers as well as the traders. The project achieved this through effective brokerage and facilitation, as well as through the development of technical (discussion) papers. The project clearly requires follow-up, but the process for developing certification has started, which is a significant achievement for a project of 6 months. Certification of peat products in Europe can have an important demonstration function for other parts of the world (e.g. South America and Asia, where peat production is sharply increasing.

Discussions have started on a follow-up project. Both the trade and the GPI steering committee are in the process of identifying sources of funding to continue the facilitation process.