Sonnenerde is a European leader in the field of product development using compost and biochar. In its own compost and soil plant, around 30 different peat-free soils and substrates based on compost have been developed, as well as 10 different products based on biochar.
In 2025, the development of a completely new industrial biochar production plant was also completed, which can continuously produce the highest quality biochar from any organic waste, such as screen residues from composting. This plant has been in full operation since October 2025, producing around 1,200 tons of biochar, 1 MW of heat, and around 2,000 tons of CO2 certificates per year.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
– Production and marketing of:
- 30,000 m3 of substrates
- 1,200 tons of biochar
- 2,000 tons of CO2 certificates
– Drying of 10,000 tons of sewage sludge
– Operating a YouTube gardening channel with 85,000 subscribers
What’s the news about new products/services?
Sonnenerde is one of the few companies that produces high-quality carbon removal certificates (CDR) and offers them on the currently still voluntary market. Biochar is available in all conceivable grain sizes from <0.01 mm to >15 mm. The company is well known in the field of “living soil” for cannabis production.
What are the ranges of products/services?
Permanently fertile soils. At Sonnenerde, soils are not designed as disposable products or consumables, but as an investment in the future. When treated correctly, these soils improve year after year.
The biochar products are characterized by their consistently high quality. Feed charcoal is a mixture of different types of biochar, which, due to their diversity, have a very broad spectrum of activity for binding pollutants.
What can you tell us about market trends?
Climate protection and thus also the offsetting of unavoidable CO2 emissions is becoming increasingly important. The lack of technical options for CO2 sequestration is causing a constant rise in the price of these certificates.
Peat is one of the fossil raw materials that should remain in situ as far as possible. Not only is extraction being stopped, but moors are also being gradually rewetted. Peat substitutes in substrates are therefore a huge new market, and Sonnenerde is a leader in this field.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
By mixing different types of biochar, our feed chars are extremely reliable in their effect because they have a very broad spectrum of binding sites for organic pollutants. These feed chars are composed and formulated differently for different animals.
In the area of soils and substrates, our products are extremely sustainable and durable. When treated correctly, black soil (our “Terra Preta”) improves from year to year. In addition, this soil contains a lot of biochar and thus contributes to carbon sequestration and climate protection.
Our organic slurry char for use in biogas production is also completely innovative. It can increase gas yield by up to 30% and also has additional positive effects such as nutrient binding, improved fertilization, carbon binding, and humus formation in the field.
What estimations do you have for the end of 2025?
Due to the novelty of the production facility, we expect production operations to remain very stable until the end of 2025.
Demand for our sustainable products will continue to rise. The reasons for this are not only increasing awareness for climate protection, but also the unique functionality of our products and their high long-term cost-effectiveness. Even though our soils and substrates are more expensive to purchase, for example, these costs are more than offset by the savings in ongoing maintenance.
