PEATLESS partners meet in Pistoia for the 2nd General Assembly
The PEATLESS consortium met in Pistoia, Italy, for the project’s 2nd General Assembly, held on 5 and 6 May 2026. Organised by CIC in collaboration with AVI, the meeting brought partners together to review the progress achieved so far, align on the next stages of work and connect the project’s technical developments with real production environments.
PEATLESS aims to support the transition towards more sustainable growing media by developing, testing and promoting locally sourced alternatives with reduced peat content for key horticultural systems, including mushroom cultivation, seedling production and ornamental horticulture.
Reviewing progress across the project
The first day of the General Assembly took place at Pistoia, with partners joining both in person and online during the morning sessions. The agenda included updates from all work packages, covering sectorial needs and local resources, technical barriers and alternative substrate validation, grower demonstrations, economic and regulatory aspects, dissemination and communication activities, and project management.
Throughout the sessions, partners reviewed the current status of the project and discussed the work carried out during the first phase. The meeting showed that PEATLESS is moving into an important stage, progressing from the identification and initial testing of alternative substrate blends towards further validation, monitoring and demonstration activities.
A key milestone highlighted during the discussions was the successful completion of WP1, focused on understanding sectorial needs and local resources. These outcomes provide an important basis for the next steps of the project, helping partners ensure that the alternative growing media developed within PEATLESS respond to the real needs of the horticultural sector.
The General Assembly was also covered by the Government of La Rioja, one of the project partners, which highlighted the participation of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural World and Environment in the meeting and the role of PEATLESS in accelerating the transition towards sustainable alternatives to peat. The full article is available on the Government of La Rioja website.
From substrate development to monitoring
The General Assembly provided an opportunity to discuss the technical progress made in the development of low-peat and peat-free substrate blends. The selected blends and laboratory-level testing carried out so far will support the next phases of validation under more practical conditions.
Monitoring will also play an important role in the upcoming work. CESENS is moving forward with the installation of sensors and will provide training to project partners, supporting the follow-up of substrate properties throughout the project.
This combination of technical development, monitoring and practical validation is central to PEATLESS, which seeks to overcome the technical, socio-cultural and economic barriers that currently limit the adoption of reduced-peat and peat-free alternatives in horticulture.
Connecting research with ornamental production
In the afternoon, partners visited ornamental plant production facilities, where some of the substrate blends developed within PEATLESS will be tested under real growing conditions. These visits helped connect the project’s technical work with the practical needs of growers, highlighting the importance of developing solutions that are not only sustainable, but also reliable, scalable and suitable for professional production environments.
One of the visits took place at Vannucci Piante, a leading ornamental plant company with a strong international presence and exports to professional markets worldwide.
Seeing these facilities firsthand allowed partners to better understand the context in which alternative substrates will need to perform, particularly in the ornamental sector, where quality, consistency and production efficiency are essential.
The first day concluded with a consortium dinner in Pistoia, providing an additional opportunity for partners to continue exchanges in an informal setting.
Visit to the compost production plant in Montespertoli
The second and final day of the General Assembly was dedicated to a technical visit to the Plures Alia Casa Sartori plant in Montespertoli, near Florence. The visit focused on a compost production plant, followed by a consortium lunch near Florence and the official close of the General Assembly.
At Casa Sartori, partners had the opportunity to learn more about how organic waste can be transformed into valuable resources such as compost and biomethane. This visit offered a direct view of circular economy in practice and showed how locally available organic materials can contribute to more sustainable horticultural value chains.
The compost produced at this facility will be used within PEATLESS as part of the project’s work on alternative substrate blends. This connection between compost production and substrate innovation reinforced one of the core ideas behind PEATLESS: the need to make better use of local resources while reducing the horticultural sector’s dependence on peat-based growing media.
Strengthening collaboration for the next stages
Beyond the technical content, the General Assembly provided an important moment for coordination and collaboration between partners. Over the two days, the consortium reviewed progress, discussed upcoming tasks and strengthened links across the different areas of work.
After the visit to Casa Sartori, partners shared a final lunch and had the opportunity to visit the city, closing the meeting with further informal exchanges and discussions.
The 2nd General Assembly marked an important step for PEATLESS as the project continues moving from early development and testing towards demonstration, validation and knowledge exchange with the horticultural sector.
As the project advances, PEATLESS will continue working with partners, growers and stakeholders to support the transition towards sustainable, locally sourced and reduced-peat growing media for professional horticulture.
