November 21, 2024
Artificial grass continues to offer a number of economic and social benefits to the people and organizations who choose it for a variety of sporting and landscaping purposes. Yet like many other man-made products, its environmental sustainability has been scrutinized at times, with misconceptions and misunderstandings often needing to be challenged by manufacturers and facility owners alike.
So what exactly is the artificial grass industry currently doing to underline its commitment to sustainability? Stefan Diderich, Director General of EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC) explains:
“From community sports clubs looking to combat the risks posed by the weather to landscape architects eager to create safe, accessible green spaces where natural grass might otherwise struggle to grow, synthetic turf has brought a host of benefits to a variety of users around the world.”
“While many of these promote sustainability in a social or economic sense, we’re also very mindful of the responsibility of our industry to ensure the product category is as environmentally sustainable as it can be too.”
“The industry is currently heavily invested in five areas; each of which will play a vital role in making synthetic turf as environmentally friendly as possible for those who specify, buy, install and use it – both now and for many years to come.”
1. Sustainable processing of end-of-life turf
“We recognize that the growing popularity of synthetic turf over multiple decades has now raised concerns around what happens to that turf when it reaches the end of its natural life. While the use of recycled and recyclable components is growing among manufacturers, responsible waste management remains paramount for those end-of-life surfaces.
“Over the last 10 years, more than €55 million has been invested in 10 responsible waste management facilities across Europe. These 10 recycling facilities have a collective processing capacity equivalent to 5,000 full-size football pitches, aiding compliance with the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC), which applies across the European Union and United Kingdom. Given that the average lifespan of a synthetic turf pitch is around 10 years, the current provision of facilities goes some way to addressing the issue. We do, however, also recognize that capacity will need to increase further in order to cater for the volume of new fields and pitches being installed.
2. Recycled (and recyclable) artificial grass
“Processing waste responsibly is important, but even more important is the need to minimize waste by committing to the core principles of a circular economy. A number of synthetic turf manufacturers is developing fully recyclable products made from a single polymer, creating the potential for it to be recycled repeatedly into new products.”
“Provided it is separated from any infill or backing, specialist artificial grass recyclers can take this single polymer product and convert it into one of a number of new polymer products – including new artificial grass – without losing quality or performance.”
3. Sustainable infill alternatives
“For many years now, a key component of the synthetic turf pitches used for football and rugby in particular has been the polymeric infill such as EPDM, TPE and SBR (3G pitch rubber crumb). Like many other industries, we appreciate the need to explore ways we can reduce the risk and prevalence of microplastics and as such, the use and types of infill used on our sports pitches is an area currently subject to a lot of investment and exploration.”
“With this in mind, a number of alternatives to polymeric infills are already available and will continue to be developed by manufacturers within our industry. These include a number of natural synthetic turf infills such as cork, processed olive stones, and wood chip, and a selection of non-infill synthetic turf systems are already on the market. ESTC is actively supporting the development of non-infill synthetic turf systems and alternative natural infills before the European Commission bans the sale of polymeric infill such as rubber crumb from 2031.”
4. Artificial grass maintenance to minimize microplastics
“Like any product with a polymer or plastic component, the general wear of synthetic turf can create a microplastics risk when it is not managed correctly. For this reason, the synthetic turf industry is committed to mitigating concerns about microplastic contamination from turf used for sports and landscaping. Proper artificial grass maintenance is paramount when it comes to managing this risk, and this is something ESTC is making every effort to highlight proactively.”
“We recommend investing in, and regularly using, specialist maintenance equipment that is capable of capturing loose fibres and fibre debris. By doing so, synthetic turf owners are able to capture and dispose of these fibres and debris in a responsible way that prevents them from escaping into the environment and becoming microplastics.”
5. Standardized life cycle assessments for synthetic turf
“As environmental concerns grow, the need for transparency of information on the production, installation and maintenance of the products we all come into contact with will need to follow suit. The synthetic turf supply chain is no exception. At ESTC, we are working with the European Commission to create standardized life cycle assessments for synthetic turf products. Utilizing the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprints (PEF) technique, this collaboration aims to establish ‘Category Rules’ (CR) for the industry.”
“These rules will help specifiers and buyers identify the most sustainable manufacturers, installers, maintenance experts, and recycling facilities, while curbing unverified claims. To make these assessments as simple as possible, we have also developed an Environmental Footprint Calculation Tool, allowing the industry to independently assess the environmental impact of synthetic turf systems and their components.”
“Like many other industries, the synthetic turf sector is on a journey towards greater environmental sustainability as there are very few quick fixes. By encouraging close collaboration between each component of the supply chain – from specifier to end user – we can ensure our industry remains as kind as possible to the environment while it continues to deliver the raft of social and economic benefits it has long been known for.”
For more information on ESTC and its sustainability commitments, visit estc.info/sustainability.