Why choose coco peat over peat?
Better for your garden. Better for our planet.
Our founder, Brian Luborsky, started PlantBest after learning that drained and degraded peatlands are responsible for roughly 4% of annual global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme's Global Peatlands Assessment. That single fact became the reason to bring a better growing medium to market — one designed to be better for the planet as well as the garden.
01 — Renewable Circular Products
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Turning coconut waste into growing power.
Coconut coir comes from the outer husk of the coconut. Trees fruit several times a year, creating a constant supply for the food industry — and a large surplus of waste husks left over. Unused, that husk is typically burned, dumped or left to waste. PlantBest upcycles it instead: taking a byproduct, keeping it in use, and turning it into a higher-performing growing medium.
~62M tonnes
Coconuts produced globally in 2019 (FAO, 2021)
~20M tonnes
Of husks generated as agricultural waste each year
~6M tonnes
Theoretical potential coir yield left largely untapped
02 — More Sustainable Than Peat
A smaller carbon footprint, a massive climate benefit.
Peatlands cover just 3% of the world's land, yet store roughly 30% of global soil carbon — about twice as much as all the world's forests combined. When peat is harvested or drained, that carbon store is disturbed and methane — a gas roughly 27 times more potent than CO₂ — is released.
Peat regenerates at only about 1 millimetre a year, so damaged peatlands can take centuries to recover. Today, only 17% of the world's peatlands are protected, and around 50 million hectares have already been drained worldwide (UN Environment Programme, 2022).
Horticultural peat harvesting is a small share of total peatland emissions overall — most stem from large-scale drainage for agriculture, forestry and land development. Still, it's placed all peat extraction under closer scrutiny. In Canada specifically, emissions from peat extraction rose 133% between 1990 and 2021 (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2023).
~4%
Of annual global human-caused GHG emissions from degraded peatlands (UNEP, 2022)
27x
How much more potent the methane released is compared to CO₂
133%
Rise in Canadian peat-extraction emissions, 1990–2021
03 — Proven Growing Performance
Backed by university research, not just marketing.
Coir's air-filled porosity — how much air a growing medium holds alongside water — runs 10–20%, compared to 5–15% for peat, and it holds its structure through longer growing cycles rather than compacting.
Testing at the University of Guelph found PlantBest's coir containers matched or beat leading peat-based alternatives across key metrics. Separately, researchers at China Agricultural University found coconut coir outperformed rockwool and peat-vermiculite on nutrient uptake and tomato fruit yield.
04 — Water-Smart Growing
Water less. Grow more confidently.
Coco coir can hold up to nine times its dry weight in water — one reason it's been used as a growing medium for decades in arid regions of Sri Lanka and India. PlantBest coco soil stays moist up to five times longer than traditional topsoil, while still allowing for aeration and drainage.
For growers dealing with drought, rising water costs, or just inconsistent watering, that difference adds up fast.
05 — Aligned With Global Trends
Peat-free is where growing media is headed.
Regulation is catching up with the science. The UK is banning peat in horticultural production in 2026, and countries including Germany and Norway are banning the retail sale of peat the same year. Most retailers' greenhouse gas footprints sit in what's called Scope 3 — emissions from purchased goods and the products they sell — and many now carry public commitments to bring that number down.
Coco coir is built for that shift: it supports container growing, hydroponics, urban gardening and high-yield commercial production, while helping retailers and growers move toward more circular, lower-impact supply chains.
Social
A responsible supply chain.
PlantBest works closely with production partners in India and Vietnam. Our factories meet or exceed local regulatory standards, are regularly audited by North American customers, and provide stable employment, skills training, and wages above local averages in rural communities.
Our coco coir production supports agriculture and livelihoods in the region — it stimulates trade and jobs, and the sentiment on the ground is very positive.
— Kanda, Factory Lead, India
Before the factory, most local work was rice farming in the sun. The coir factory brought steady wages and better working conditions, and helped bring the community together around it.
— Nam, Factory Owner, Vietnam
Governance
Built for trust, scale, and long-term value.
PlantBest's governance ensures strong strategic accountability and responsible growth as the company scales across retailers, distributors and growers. Leadership provides direct oversight of market priorities, sourcing, product innovation, and performance — translating strategy into disciplined execution so we can grow responsibly while continuing to serve retailers and growers well.
Our Commitment
Better for your garden.
Better for our planet.
Protecting peat bogs
Every PlantBest product sold is one less bag of soil pulled from a bog that can't be replaced in our lifetime.
A renewable byproduct
Coconut coir is put to work rather than left to rot or burn — a waste stream turned into a resource.
Fewer emissions, less waste
Lighter shipments, longer-lasting products, and less packaging add up to a smaller footprint per garden.