Norwegian sawdust is fertile ground for the green transition
The problem is enormous. For 70 years, peat has been the most widely used growing medium for commercial cultivation in Europe. But peat is extracted from ancient peatlands, releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases. The alternatives are not much better. Rock wool, widely used in greenhouses, ends up as environmentally harmful waste.
'We have found a way to solve both problems,' says Ole Mathias Lygren, Business Development Manager at Fibergrow.
Norwegian forests are growing faster than we harvest them, according to a report from NIBIO.
«Once the sawmills have cut the spruce logs with all the skill and precision the craft demands, around half of the timber remains as wood chips and sawdust. That amounts to millions of cubic metres of wood chips as a by-product. We buy these wood chips and use them as raw material in our production – they are our gold!»
Hunton has been producing wood fibre products since 1889. In 2019, the company discovered that its wood chips could be turned into something entirely different: Fibergrow – a growing medium that can replace both peat and stone wool.
The end of the peat era
A ban on peat has been discussed for years, but matching its beneficial properties has proved difficult: it is naturally sterile, structurally stable and has a high water-holding capacity.
'Replacing peat is not as easy as you might think. You cannot simply use compost, for example. It is far too unstable, particularly for precision growing,' says Lygren.
When the Norwegian Environment Agency and NIBIO began exploring alternatives, they discovered successful examples of wood fibre use in the US. At the same time, Hunton was building a new wood fibre production plant at Skjerven.
'They contacted us to find out whether Hunton's wood fibre could work as a growing medium,' says Lygren.
Hunton rose to the challenge.
– We quickly realised that this worked. Since then, we have continued to develop it through research projects, collaboration with the horticulture industry, refinements, and trial and error.
Innovation for two different markets
Fibergrow is currently available in two forms: mats for large greenhouses growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers at scale, and loose fibre that is mixed into soil to replace peat for smaller growers and home gardeners. What sets Hunton's solution apart from its competitors is the technology.
«What sets us apart is our high-tech production process, where we sterilise and defibre the products to achieve the desired particle size. We can 'tune' everything from a very fine growing medium for small cuttings and seeds to a coarser medium for larger plants.»
Fibergrow has been tested at NIBIO's research stations, Mære Agricultural College, commercial operators and several pilot customers, with promising results.
'With Fibergrow mats, growers have achieved results comparable to those from the products they already use. Several have also seen improvements in areas such as plant health and crop yields,' says Lygren.
Fibergrow retains water, allows air to reach the roots and enables pH adjustment. Most importantly, the product can be composted after use and spread on fields or used to produce energy.
For growers who replace their growing media four or five times a year, this means significant savings, both financially and for the climate.
The climate impact is impressive: Wood fibre from sustainably managed forests stores carbon instead of releasing it. When the product is composted, the carbon enters the natural cycle rather than becoming problematic waste. As climate change drives more food production into controlled greenhouse environments, Fibergrow meets the demands of forward-looking, sustainable and efficient plant production.
A billion-dollar market awaits
Several million cubic metres of soil substitutes are used in Europe each year – and volumes are growing. The European market for soil substitutes generates annual revenues of NOK 35 billion. Even a small market share offers significant potential. Hunton's ambitions reflect the size of the market: revenues of NOK 160–180 million by 2030, mainly from exports.
'Our initial focus is on the Nordic region, but we are looking at the whole of Europe. We have also shipped our first container to Sri Lanka as an alternative to coconut fibre,' says Lygren.
With more than NOK 14 million in grants through Bionova's scheme for bioeconomy projects, Hunton has been able to pursue its ambitions on a larger scale and move faster.
«When we applied for support from Innovation Norway, we only had a manually produced prototype. We wanted to invest in a pilot production line, but the risk was high. Our support was crucial in enabling us to move forward.»
'We are pleased to support Hunton Fiber in its development process. Its innovative approach to sustainable building materials is impressive, and we are proud to have helped bring its vision to life through our support for the pilot line,' says Anne Cathrine Morseth, our customer adviser responsible for Hunton Fiber.
The products are now being commercialised, customers have responded positively, and the pilot line will help increase capacity on the path towards fully automated production. At the Green Tech trade fair in June 2025, Hunton was the only company to have progressed this far with wood-fibre substrates.
'We have showcased unique products at the trade fair that have attracted considerable market interest, and we are gaining many new customers who want to try them,' says Lygren, before concluding:
- 'We take a by-product from Norwegian sawmills and turn it into a high-quality product for an industry that needs to cut emissions and become more sustainable.'