Services
The problem is not the material — it is the specification.
Many specifications in the fields of revegetation, soil science and material selection are outdated — some decades old, amended on a case-by-case basis, but never systematically brought up to the current state of the art. BPS operates at the interface between material science and practice. We help revise specifications that no longer reflect this reality.
The Structural Problem
Standards from the 1970s — materials from 2026
The standards and regulatory frameworks underlying today's tenders in revegetation and soil protection were largely developed in the 1970s and 1980s. They have since been amended on a case-by-case basis — individual paragraphs revised, individual substances added or removed — but never systematically aligned with the actual state of material development.
The result is a patchwork of wording that is problematic for both contracting authorities and contractors alike. Contracting authorities specify materials that are barely available on the market or have long been replaced by better alternatives. Contractors bid on specifications that are technically outdated — and have no normative basis for offering contemporary alternatives.
Material offerings and the experience of professionals with individual materials have evolved dramatically over the past 30 years. The standards have not kept pace with this development. This gap is the real problem — and the starting point for BPS.
State of Development — Standards vs. Materials
The gap continues to widen: Standards have not kept pace with material development over the past three decades. Specification texts based on these standards frequently specify materials that no longer represent the current state of the art.
Deficit Areas
Three subject areas — systematic gaps
The deficiencies in existing specification texts are not random. They follow a pattern: standards were amended incrementally but never evaluated in the context of overall material development. Three areas are particularly affected.
Vegetation & Revegetation
Vegetation tender specifications under DIN 18918 and ZTV Vegtra contain fundamental technical gaps that have been perpetuated for decades through the mere copying of existing texts.
↳No reference to the coordination of mulch material, additives and nitrogen fertilisation — particularly critical for herb-dominant mixtures with low nitrogen tolerances
↳Seed specifications without provenance documentation or germination capacity data reflecting the current state of the art
↳Establishment guarantees without defined site and substrate parameters — untenable both legally and technically
Soil Science & Substrates
Substrate specifications in specification texts frequently rely on outdated soil classifications and disregard modern findings on soil biology and soil microbiome activity.
↳Humus content specifications without differentiation between stable humus and labile organic matter
↳pH value requirements without reference to the intended plant community or soil biology
↳Compaction levels without differentiation between vegetation layer and load-bearing layer — inadequate from a soil physics perspective
Material Selection & Binders
The most critical area: materials considered state of the art in the 1970s are now under regulatory pressure or have simply been replaced by better alternatives — without specification texts reflecting this.
↳Straw as cover mulch dates from an era before purpose-engineered fibre materials — technology has advanced significantly since then
↳Polybutadiene adhesives in revegetation specifications are no longer state of the art — alternatives exist but are not normatively referenced
↳Polyacrylamide polymers specified without a clear safety data sheet requirement — problematic from both a regulatory and ecological standpoint
Case Studies
Four examples — representative of a systemic problem
The following examples are representative of a widespread practice: specification texts are copied without the technical background of the original specification being known or questioned. The result is tenders that are technically outdated, legally vulnerable or ecologically questionable.
Straw as cover mulch
Straw was established as a cover material in revegetation specifications at a time when no alternative existed. It is the agricultural by-product that was at hand — not the material that offers the best protective performance.
Current state: Purpose-engineered wood and cellulose fibre materials offer defined fibre length distribution, controlled C/N ratio, better ground coverage and reproducible application properties. They are hardly normatively referenced in specification texts.
Polyacrylamide polymers without SDS requirement
Polyacrylamide-based soil stabilisers and erosion control agents are specified in tenders without requiring a safety data sheet or residual monomer content. The residual monomer potential of acrylamide is toxicologically significant.
Current state: EU REACH prescribes clear documentation obligations for such substance groups. Specification texts that tender PAM without an SDS requirement do not meet the current regulatory standard and create liability risks for contracting authorities.
Polybutadiene adhesives in revegetation systems
Polybutadiene-based adhesives were used in early hydroseeding and erosion control systems. They are still listed as reference materials in some older standard texts — even though they barely play a role in the market today.
Current state: Biopolymers and nature-based binders offer equivalent or superior adhesive properties with full biodegradability. The normative reference to polybutadiene no longer has a technical basis.
Missing C/N coordination in vegetation specifications
The C/N ratio of mulch material, organic additives and the applied nitrogen quantity must be coordinated with one another. Wood-fibre-rich mulches with a wide C/N ratio temporarily bind available soil nitrogen and compete directly with germination. In most specification texts, this relationship is simply absent.
Current state: Particularly with herb-dominant mixtures — which inherently have low nitrogen tolerances — an uncoordinated C/N ratio in the cover mulch leads to establishment failures that are attributed to the seed. A complete substrate specification must address mulch material, additives and nitrogen supply together.
What BPS Delivers
From analysis to revised specification text
BPS conducts a technical assessment of existing specification texts, identifies outdated or problematic specifications and revises them to the current state of the art — with reference to applicable standards, material availability and regulatory requirements.
Specification Analysis & Assessment
Systematic review of existing specifications for outdated material specifications, missing parameters and regulatory gaps. Prioritisation of revision requirements.
→Review material specifications for currency
→Identify missing parameters
→Flag regulatory risks
Raw Material & Material Assessment
Technical evaluation of specified materials — availability, technical suitability, regulatory status, nature-based alternatives. Foundation for the revision.
→Material comparison: legacy vs. current state of the art
→Alternative proposals with rationale
→Review safety data sheet requirements
Revised Specification Text
Revised specification texts compliant with STLB-Bau, DIN, Ö-Norm or project-specific requirements — technically updated, normatively substantiated, practically formulated for application.
→STLB · DIN · Ö-Norm · project-specific
→Incl. material requirements and test parameters
→Ready for use in tendering and procurement
Standards Reference
Bioengineering Stabilisation Methods
Gaps in material referenceVegetation Technology in Landscape Construction
Gaps in material referenceVegetation Support Layers for Road Construction
C/N coordination missingRevegetation for Road Construction (Austria)
Fibre materials incompleteLandscape Construction — Revegetation
Material references outdatedRevegetation Works (Austria)
Fibre materials incompleteSoil Survey Methods
Current — reference basisChemical Registration & Evaluation
Rarely referenced in specification textsIndividual Performance Descriptions
On requestStandards Revision as a Research Field
The systematic revision of standard texts in the field of nature-based revegetation and soil protection systems is a recognised research field in EU funding programmes. BPS contributes practical expertise, material knowledge and regulatory competence to relevant project consortia.
Outdated specification? We will review it.
Send us your existing specification or describe the tender requirements. BPS identifies the weaknesses and proposes a revision plan — without obligation.