Case Study: ICL Group achieves sustainable, peat-free growing media with Wazoku

How a global specialty minerals and chemicals company utilized external innovation to find a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way to grow plants

ICL Group, a global specialty minerals and chemicals company focused on sustainable food and agriculture, ran an external innovation Challenge with Wazoku to identify peat‑free, more environmentally friendly growing media. Peat extraction releases stored carbon, is effectively non‑renewable and faces regulatory limits, so ICL targeted waste‑stream and by‑product solutions to reduce emissions and support its “Our Environment” sustainability initiative; 235 solvers engaged.

The Challenge awarded five solutions—each proposing abundant, low‑cost by‑products or recycled materials backed by analysis, field studies and process designs—and distributed a $15,000 prize pool. ICL’s Horticulture and Growing Media teams are now engaging awarded solvers to explore pilots and partnerships, opening discussions across five new industries and creating flexible pathways to reduce peat use and advance a circular, more sustainable growing‑media portfolio.

ICL

Eleni Siasou

R&D Manager, Growing Media