10106787Shear Innovation: Valorising wool waste using biotechnology to enhance horticultural peat-free growing mediaClosedLaunchpadInnovate UKThe sheep industry is a defining feature across Scotland and the UK. According to InnovateUK KTN's recent Wool Innovation Action Plan, sheep rearing is * "the foundation of rural economies where there are limited alternative employment opportunities" * "contributes £291.4m to the economy" * "employs 34,000 people on farms and...111,405 jobs in allied industries." Although this industry's main product is lamb, in 2021 the UK exported 36 million kilograms of wool worth $58 million (USD), "in 2020 UK farmers were receiving just 15-30p per fleece, yet paying more than £1 to have each sheep sheared". The report declares wool "a readily available, largely wasted resource," calling for innovation to create new uses for wool and its byproducts. Furthermore, less than 50% of wool entering the value chain is ultimately usable as textiles, leaving the majority as waste and byproduct materials amounting to at least 35 million kgs in 2021 (FAOSTAT). Simultaneously, the UK's 2030 peat ban is causing financial and technical challenges for professional growers accustomed to using peat. Here, DEFRA predicts that these over 15,000 growers--including food, ornamental and tree seedling producers--will face: * £192.6m transition cost over the coming decade * £456.1m in profit losses due to increased costs of using peat-free media These staggering costs will harm an industry that operates on thin margins and is essential to British food security. Here, the House of Lords Horticulture sector committee's "Sowing the Seeds" report notes "Businesses cannot make the transition to peat-free without financial support for R&D." The report highlights grower concerns surrounding imported materials, "...we are supplanting...\[emissions savings\]...with emissions resulting from importing alternatives such as coir, effectively exporting our carbon footprint." Our project seeks to answer these two distinct needs by creating a circular and sustainable peat-free growing media for professional growers that incorporates wool waste. Here, we will use and develop our proprietary microorganism and enzyme blend to process wool mill waste streams to unlock their horticultural potential and mechanically process wool waste to improve its mixability. This will not only answer grower's needs but also provide a new, non-competing supply chain for wool waste materials.