Suntory developed Teamoss, a growing medium made from green tea factory residue that matches peat moss performance while cutting environmental damage. Peat moss is one of horticulture's most relied-upon materials, prized for its ability to retain water and nutrients. It's also an ecological problem. Harvesting peat means draining wetlands and releasing carbon that took centuries to accumulate underground. Regulators are increasingly restricting peat extraction and sales, and alternatives have been hard to come by. Suntory, the Japanese beverage giant, thinks it's found one in the leftover tea leaves from its soft drink factories. The company has developed Teamoss , a patented growing medium made primarily from green tea residue. In trials conducted by the company's horticultural arm, seedlings grown in Teamoss matched or outperformed those raised in conventional peat moss under identical conditions. The appeal goes beyond swapping one material for another.…