Ponda has been awarded a £2.4 million project to demonstrate how restored wetlands can produce commercially valuable biomaterials while reducing emissions and generating new income opportunities for farmers. The project is supported by a £1.9 million grant through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Innovate UK Farming Innovation Programme.
The project will run for 30 months and establish a 30-hectare wetland farming demonstration site. Ponda will work with Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Liverpool John Moores University, Finance Earth and Barnard Farms.
The partners will grow broadleaf cattail, also known as bulrush or Typha latifolia, on restored wetland. The crop will provide raw material for BioPuff, Ponda’s plant-based insulation product.
Wetland farming involves cultivating crops that can grow in waterlogged conditions rather than draining land for conventional agriculture. This approach can be particularly relevant for damaged peatlands, where drainage can release stored carbon and contribute to environmental degradation.
Rewetting peatland can help protect the carbon stored in the soil, but it may limit the crops farmers can produce through conventional methods. Ponda’s project is intended to demonstrate a commercial model in which farmers can generate revenue while supporting peatland restoration.
The planned site is expected to become the world’s largest wetland farming demonstration focused on peatland regeneration. It will test whether bulrush can be cultivated and processed at a scale sufficient to support an industrial biomaterials supply chain.
BioPuff is a plant-based material designed for use as insulation. The demonstration will connect crop production directly with Ponda’s manufacturing requirements, providing information about yields, logistics, processing and commercial viability.
Ponda expects the project to demonstrate that its agricultural supply chain can scale beyond smaller pilots. The company is seeking to create a repeatable model that links nature restoration with the production of lower-impact materials.
The collaboration will also examine the financial structure required to make wetland farming attractive to landowners and farmers. Finance Earth will contribute expertise related to financing and commercially sustainable environmental projects.
Liverpool John Moores University and Lancashire Wildlife Trust will support the project’s research, ecological and land-restoration components. Barnard Farms will contribute practical agricultural experience to the establishment and operation of the demonstration site.
The project represents a major step in Ponda’s effort to build regenerative supply chains for BioPuff. Its broader objective is to produce biomaterials at commercial scale while restoring wetlands, reducing emissions and creating alternative agricultural income.
