In Brussels, Belgium, a conference event marking the close of the 30-month FER-PLAY project was held on February 19, 2025. The event shed light on current challenges and drivers for the rollout of circular fertilizers in Europe, as the European Commission presented its Vision for Agriculture and Food. The Vision will guide all future thinking on agrifood policy over the next five years, helping to reconcile green goals with the economic realities of farming.
Conventional fertilizers are made using finite, often imported, resources and employ in some cases energy-intensive production processes.
To ensure high yields, these fertilizers are optimized for the fast release of nutrients, making them an attractive choice for farmers but a threat to soil and ecosystem health.
Meanwhile, circular fertilizers are sourced from homegrown residues or by-products, decreasing EU dependence on fertilizer imports and boosting resource efficiency.
They provide yield benefits while minimizing the risks associated with fast-acting conventional fertilizers, protecting the soil and water from nutrient enrichment. Their adoption is fostered by several legislative pieces at the EU level, such as the Soil Monitoring Law or the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Circular fertilizers in the EU mapped by FER-PLAY
Over the past three years, the FER-PLAY consortium has gathered expertise from different EU countries, worked to protect ecosystems, decrease EU dependence on fertilizer imports, and improve resource efficiency through the promotion of circular fertilizers.
Facts
About FER-PLAY
Launched in September 2022, the 30-month FER-PLAY project has worked to facilitate the uptake of circular fertilizers to protect ecosystems, decrease EU dependence on fertilizer imports, foster circularity, and improve soil health.
The project has mapped and assessed circular fertilizers made from secondary raw materials and highlighted their multiple benefits to promote their wide-scale production and in-field usage.
Coordinated by ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL CENTRO TECNOLOGICO ENERGIA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE (CETENMA), Spain, FER-PLAY comprises 12 partners from 6 different European countries from across the sector: Consorzio Italiano Compostatori (CIC), Italy; European Biogas Association (EBA), Belgium; Green Tile BV (NuReSys), Belgium; Inagro vzw, The Netherlands; Centro Tecnológico del Agua (CETAQUA), Spain; DRAXIS Environmental SA (DReVen), Greece; REVOLVE, Belgium; ACR+, Belgium; Confederazione Nazionale Coltivatori Diretti (COLDIRETTI), Italy; Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V. (Naturland), Germany; and Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores (ASAJA), Spain.
The FER-PLAY project has received a total grant of EUR 2 million from the European Commission within Horizon Europe under the ‘’Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’’ program (Grant Agreement ID: 101060426).
During that time, the project has mapped and assessed circular fertilizers made from secondary raw materials, highlighting their multiple benefits to foster their wide-scale production and application as a key element of the agroecological transition.
The information generated in FER-PLAY paves the way for untapping the full potential of circular fertilizers, enabling farmers and agrifood industries to make sustainable and informed choices on fertilization and soil management protocols. Both access to information and a coherent framework are required to avoid putting the future of our food and agriculture systems in jeopardy, said Jose Martín Soriano Disla, Project Coordinator, CETENMA.
Thorough dialogues with farmers, producers, and local administrations allowed the inclusion of valuable insights into the market uptake recommendations.
This uptake is strategic since, by 2050, the rollout of circular fertilizers could replace 3.77 million tonnes of conventional fertilizers.
Such a reduction in conventional fertilizer consumption could cut fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 88 percent and 87 percent, respectively.
The replacement of conventional fertilizers with circular ones could also help reduce fertilizer imports by 20 percent, leading to up to EUR 689.38 million in savings per year.
Despite their advantages, the socio-economic and environmental benefits of circular fertilizers are still largely unknown by fertilizer producers, farmers, and policymakers alike.
The adaptation of the existing technical and legal frameworks, and targeted support for innovation in nutrient recycling, will facilitate the broader use and production of circular fertilizers across Europe.
