In collaboration with the Agrobusiness Niederrhein association, eleven students from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Scienc-es provided exciting insights into the importance and potential of peat-free products in horticulture as part of the Trans-RegINT project.
Peat? At the beginning of last semester, this was a new topic for some of the international students on the marketing course led by Prof Dr Marina Gregoric, Professor of Business Administra-tion and Marketing at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Scienc-es. But after the first in-depth insights into the topic, the budding advertising experts' interest was quickly piqued.
Peat, a substrate that has been used for centuries in plant culti-vation, is increasingly being criticised for its negative impact on the climate and biodiversity. The extraction of peat leads to the destruction of valuable moors, which serve as CO2 reservoirs and are home to unique flora and fauna. Against this backdrop, the search for sustainable alternatives is becoming increasingly important.
In constant dialogue with Agrobusiness Niederrhein e.V. and after a visit to the plant producer and wholesaler Eurofleus El-bers in Kevelaer, the students learned about the background and developed questionnaires for their research focus. In their surveys, the students came to very similar conclusions: Around a third of those surveyed in DIY stores, garden centres and at the university were aware of the environmental consequences of peat extraction and its use in horticulture, while the topic was completely foreign to two thirds.
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