Biobest has developed a new home compostable breeding sachet for predatory mites, designed to reduce single-use plastic waste and make crop rotation easier for growers.
Breeding sachets are an essential tool in many IPM programmes. They allow predatory mites to be released gradually in the crop, helping growers maintain strong biological control throughout the season.
But at the end of the crop cycle, growers are often faced with a practical dilemma: should they manually remove all sachets from the crop, or leave non-recyclable waste behind?
With labour becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, and sustainability expectations continuing to rise, this challenge is becoming more relevant than ever.
Designed around growers’ real-life challenges
The idea behind Biobest’s home compostable sachet did not start from regulation, but from conversations with growers.
Growers told us they were looking for a solution that would reduce waste without creating extra work during crop rotation. Removing sachets manually can take a significant amount of time, especially in large greenhouse operations.
That is why Biobest set out to develop a sachet that can stay with the crop residues at the end of the cycle, eliminating the need for separate collection, sorting or disposal.
Fully compostable, without compromising performance
Developing a more sustainable sachet may sound simple, but it comes with an important technical challenge: the biological performance must remain unchanged.
The sachet still needs to provide the right environment for predatory mites, ensuring reliable release and effective pest control in the crop.
Biobest’s new home compostable breeding sachet has been developed in close collaboration with R&D, packaging, production and commercial teams, as well as external material suppliers. Field validation confirmed that mite performance and control efficacy remain comparable to regular breeding sachets.
For growers, that means a more sustainable format — without compromising the quality and performance they expect from Biobest.
Home compostable at ambient temperatures
A key feature of the new sachet is its home compostability. The sachet is made primarily from paper-based fibres, with only a minimal amount of home-compostable polymer.
This makes the sachet suitable for composting under ambient conditions, without the need for specialised industrial composting facilities. The paper-based fibres also help support the composting process by regulating moisture levels.
At the end of the crop cycle, the sachets can be removed together with the plant material and follow the grower’s existing end-of-life route, whether that is on-farm composting, a compost heap or an industrial composting facility.
A practical step towards more sustainable biological control
Biobest estimates that more than 350 million breeding sachets are used annually, generating over 1,400 tonnes of non-recyclable waste. Removing sachets can also require more than 20 hours of skilled labour per hectare.
By developing a sachet that reduces waste and simplifies crop rotation, Biobest aims to help growers make their IPM programmes more sustainable and more practical at the same time.
The home compostable breeding sachet is currently a concept and was nominated for a GreenTech Concept Award. The technology is suitable for all predatory mite products currently supplied in breeding sachets. Biobest plans to introduce the sachets first in selected European markets before gradually expanding production and availability globally.
As featured in HortiDaily
HortiDaily recently published an article about Biobest’s new home compostable breeding sachet, highlighting how the innovation can help growers reduce labour and single-use plastic waste during crop rotation.