At the RPP Board Meeting on 23 May 2019 in Copenhagen, Jan Astrup was elected as a new Board Member to represent Growing Media Europe (GME). Jan Astrup, CEO of Pindstrup Mosebrug and Board Member of GME, took over from Claes Boehlin, who had represented GME (and formerly EPAGMA) since the foundation of RPP and now stepped down in the course of his retirement.
Responsibly Produced Peat (RPP) is a certification system for the responsible use, management and restoration of peatlands in Europe - www.responsiblyproducedpeat.org.
GME strongly supports RPP and is committed to further strengthen the link between the two organisations, ensuring optimum cooperation with industry. On executive level, this is supported by one of GME´s Board Members being actively involved in the RPP Board. Jan Astrup is a chemical engineer and highly experienced in the fields of food manufacturing, sustainability certification and growing media production. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the CBIO Aarhus University Center for Circular Bioeconomy.
“I am highly motivated to personally contribute to the growing success of RPP while keeping an eye on the feasibility and effectiveness for producers of horticultural peat. All raw materials we use for growing media production must be responsibly sourced and produced, and RPP is a valuable system when it comes to peat extraction”, stated Jan Astrup after the vote.
Growing Media Europe thanks Claes Bohlin for his years of dedicated work and engagement in RPP on behalf of the growing media sector, wishing him all the best for his upcoming retirement.
As described in the recently published GME Sustainability Agenda, trusted certification systems and transparency with regards to environment, society and economy are key for any industry prepared to face future challenges. The European growing media sector relies on “responsible” peat in order to safeguard the use of this most important raw material for high quality substrates. RPP certified peat used in growing media is an important step on the road towards a more sustainable horticulture.