Achieving peat-free hobby gardening for climate mitigation in Germany: Insights into prices of growing media constituents, potting soils and policy options

To address the climate impacts of peat, the German government developed a voluntary strategy aiming to end peat use in hobby gardening by 2026. Despite the recent reduction of peat use and the expansion of the peat-free segment, peat use is still economically advantageous and is not expected to end without additional measures. In this study, we investigated market prices of potting soils and their constituents as well as policy options for a peat exit. Despite no distinct difference in the price of constituents, peat-free potting soils cost on average 21 % more than peat-containing products. A peat tax, a subsidy for other constituents or a carbon pricing are expected to be complex to implement and could have adverse side effects. Comparatively, a peat ban in hobby gardening could be an effective solution with minimal negative consequences. However, the EU legal framework would hinder its implementation and should be adapted.