ICL

The Challenge

ICL were looking for the crowd’s ideas on more sustainable, peat-free materials for use in growing plants. The Horticulture team was primarily interested in materials from waste streams or by-products of other processes – contributing to ICL’s goals for sustainability and making growing more economical and equitable.

ICL’s Challenge was posted on InnoCentive, Wazoku’s external innovation center. By using the force multiplier of the millions of global problem solvers in the Wazoku Crowd, the Challenge resulted in five awarded solutions. These ideas from Solvers outside ICL’s immediate ecosystem each addressed the solution requirements: providing detailed proposals and rationale for why and how their chosen material would work as a peat alternative in growing plants. Each awarded Solver for this Challenge received a share of the $15,000 reward for their efforts.

The Challenge resonated globally, attracting 235 active Solvers who engaged with the content. ICL’s commitment to increasing the sustainability of horticulture to create a more circular economy proved to be popular. Solvers from our crowd align with Wazoku’s mission to change the world, one idea at a time: helping ICL achieve sustainability.

The five awarded solutions each described a waste or by-product of other processes and described in detail how that material would make an excellent substitute for peat in growing plants:

• One Solver suggested using a by-product of a large global crop industry – a material that is abundant and inexpensive. Their suggestion was backed by scientific analysis of peat and the proposed material: showing that there is a close similarity in chemical composition of the two products.
• A second solution proposed using fibres from a cultivated crop. The solution included a detailed diagram of the machinery and process required. This idea benefited from being achievable with the crop’s fast-growing nature, and the existing sustainability of this crop industry.
• The third awarded solution consisted of the use of fibres from a plant material. This Solver team had already completed a field study on the suitability of this material for plant growth and recommended the appropriate machinery for the processes.
• A fourth solution suggested the use of a natural by-product which is found abundant in ecosystems. Public and private organizations manage this material as part of their existing operations, and the use of this by-product contributes to a circular economy model. This Solver provided existing published studies about topsoil made from the proposed material.
• The fifth solution suggested using a material derived from recycling processes that is found in high volumes. The Solver had conducted R&D trials with promising results. It is a cost-efficient material and its use complements the sustainability agenda of ICL.

How are you looking to implement Awarded solutions?

The Horticulture and Growing Media teams are contacting the awarded Solvers to explore their ideas further. While some Solvers were content with submitting their literature-based ideas to the Challenge, others are providing ICL with key contacts and are keen to set up projects to see their ideas come to fruition. The capability of our Solvers isn’t only based in their solutions to a Challenge – it can often be bolstered by knowledge of industry contacts through years of experience in a specific field.

Future external innovation plans

There were a multitude of future opportunities delivered by this Peat Replacement Challenge’s success. ICL might be able to collaborate and utilize various methods or tech in providing new, more sustainable growth media. The flexibility afforded by this Ideation Challenge means that the team can adjust solutions to meet their needs and create new products, or can store the research and implement the opportunity at a later date.