Within the CiNURGi project, ORGANE has recommended some much needed standards for fertilisers to sustainably recycle nutrients - fertilisers that generally are called bio-based fertilisers (BBFs). We think that it first of all is important to distinguish BBFs from soil improvers, since there is a great confusion between these two types of materials despite their widely different functions. We developed a definition, which we recommend to use in that connection, and as well for distinguishing between nutrient-rich and nutrient poor organic wastes.

In additon, we have developed a number of other recommendations, for instance a paradigm shift when it comes to limit values for unwanted and hazardous contaminants in organic wastes, for instance in wastewater sludge. The problem is that current limit values are different in EUs Fertilising Products Regulation (EU/2019/1009), in EUs Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) and in national legislation in different Baltic Sea Region countries, so the confusion is total. We suggest regulations on limit values to become compliant with EUs Soil Mission and EUSOs mapping of EU soils for their contamination level. 

Download our technical report here - or get it from Zenodo: "Foged, H. L. (2026). Suggested standards for fertilisers to sustainably recycle nutrients. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480740".