HORTICERT at IPM 2026 in Essen – an inspiring week!

On 30 January 2026, the IPM – the world’s leading trade fair for horticulture – came to a close, once again proving to be a key platform for exchange and innovation.

After four days of meaningful conversations, fresh perspectives and strong momentum for more sustainable growing media, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect.

At our booth in the Galeria, we presented how HORTICERT can support the industry in achieving credible and transparent certification solutions for the production of sustainable growing media.

Inspiring discussions with international peat substitute and growing media producers, retailers, NGOs, research and politics provided different viewpoints on sustainability and peat reduction in the growing media sector, offering valuable insights for the further development of HORTICERT.

In particular, exchanging ideas with influencers at the Wir sind Garten blogger event, hosted by the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR) and the Zentralverband Gartenbau, gave us new ideas into how to strengthen consumer education and knowledge transfer regarding sustainable purchasing decisions of growing media.

We would like to thank everyone who visited our booth, took part in discussions or contributed new ideas. Your feedback strengthens our mission of driving sustainability in the growing media industry through a reliable, practical certification system!

To stay updated on HORTICERT and upcoming events, we recommend regularly checking our website and following us on LinkedIn.