Green Means Go: This Unique Company Just Won the 2021 Product Innovation Award in the Fertilizer Market

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

What happens on the farm doesn’t stay on the farm. 

In 2019, agricultural pollution sources accounted for 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Globally, emissions from agricultural production currently account for 11% of that type of environmental harm and have risen 14% since 2000. In 24 countries, agriculture is the top source of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Chemical fertilizers contribute significantly to climate change, even as major chemical fertilizer manufacturers like Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. SMG, Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. SPB, and Mosaic Co. MOS attempt actions that aim to reduce climate change.

The fact is that all the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) in the world can’t substantially reduce pollution from chemical fertilizer use. The solution, instead, lies in the adoption of organic liquid fertilizers. In contrast to chemical fertilizers that reduce soil quality, organic fertilizers add nutrients to the soil, improving water retention, soil fertility, and pore space to enhance crop productivity and produce healthy plants.

Chemical fertilizers often contain a mix of ammonium phosphate, nitrophosphate, potassium, and other nutrients that seep through the soil into the groundwater and other water sources, leading to contamination and contributing to the greenhouse effect. 

In truth, nitrogen in fertilizers turns out to be just as damaging to the environment as its better-known accomplice, carbon dioxide. The EPA explains that excess nitrogen and phosphorus can be washed from farm fields and into waterways during rain events and can also leach through the soil and into groundwater over time. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus can cause eutrophication of water bodies. Eutrophication can lead to hypoxia — the dead zones we’ve all heard about — causing fish kills and a decrease in aquatic life.

In modern agriculture, chemical fertilizers have engendered the collapse of agricultural sustainability. Indiscriminate and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers, especially urea, has reduced soil health. Biofertilizers hold vast potential in meeting plant nutrient requirements because they are based on products containing living cells of microorganisms that can mobilize nutritionally important elements.

SusGlobal Energy Corp. SNRG is on a mission to reduce environmental devastation caused by the agriculture industry. The company most recently won an award from the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra as one of 39 inspiring circular economy solutions from around the globe. SusGlobal, a member of Leaders in The Circular Economy, developed and sells SusGro™, a revolutionary pathogen-free organic liquid fertilizer. 

SusGro’s organic liquid fertilizer functions as an economical, sustainable, and highly effective alternative to traditional fertilizers, boosting rather than ravaging soil while enhancing growth and yield. To produce this green fertilizer, SusGlobal converts 185,000 metric tons annually of organic waste streams into dry and liquid fertilizers. These fertilizers play a significant role in improving soil fertility by bolstering nitrogen-producing plant-growth substances in the soil. 

"We're honored to be recognized once again as technology leaders in transforming global renewable waste into award winning regenerative products," stated SusGlobal President and CEO Marc Hazout.

The next time you feed your philodendron with a teaspoon from your compost bin, say a small word of thanks to SusGlobal and its compatriots for exponentially multiplying your effort.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.