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Building for tomorrow. FieldTurf’s commitment to sustainability

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FieldTurf’s promise to keep players safe on turf has evolved into an obsession — one with a singular focus to completely eliminate potential to harm not just people, but the environment too. FieldTurf strives for the lowest impact on people and the planet — from Cradle to Cradle™ manufacturing, to circular design, to the utmost care for those who play on and handle FieldTurf products.

When it comes to waste, FieldTurf’s mission is simple: create a future where no products ever make it to a landfill. Getting there isn’t just a journey; it’s a quest. It’s why FieldTurf has devoted research and development efforts to tackle the complexity required to recycle old turf. It’s also why FieldTurf repurposes key materials from end-of-life installations to create the advanced components of future products. With such initiatives, FieldTurf continues to be at the forefront of developing technology to expand end-of-life turf applications — transforming would-be waste and dispersed materials into useful new products with renewed value. As a result, FieldTurf has developed a value-added EuCertPlast recycling process for artificial turf, named ProMax R (standing for Recycled EOL).

EuCertPlast is a European certification program for the recycling of plastic waste. FieldTurf, through the plant MET (Morton ExtrusionsTeknik), is the first company that has been certified by EuCertPlast for the recycling of post-consumer artificial turf. With this certification it is guaranteed that the plastic waste from old artificial turf is re-used in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. EuCertPlast sets great value upon the traceability of the recycling process. By this certification it is guaranteed:

  • That the material from old artificial turf is not disposed on a landfill or incinerated, but recycled.
  • That there are defined incoming controls for the incoming old artificial turf material and quality controls for the resulting recycling product.
  • That every step during the recycling process is documented including a mass balance.

When contracted with our certified regional partners to remove our clients old artificial turf fields, we can, in turn recycle the artificial turf into ProMax R, certified by Eu CertPlast. As part of this program, our customers receive a certificate that the amount of removed old artificial turf has been recycled including product name and lot number of the new product. The share of the recycled material in the new product amounts to at least 15 weight percent.

FieldTurf continues to work hard to develop other applications for EOL turf both for sports fields and for other industrial products.

FIH latest affiliate member of ESTC

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EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC) is pleased to announce that the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) has joined ESTC as an affiliate member. The affiliate membership enables FIH to interact directly with the synthetic turf industry and to participate in the various ESTC knowledge forums.

ESTC Director General Stefan Diderich calls the membership a milestone for both the synthetic turf industry and the international hockey community. “FIH and ESTC share the ambition of sustainable and durable synthetic turf fields that don’t compromise on affordability and game experience. Having FIH onboard will help speed up the process as ESTC represents the entire synthetic turf value chain for synthetic turf for different applications. FIH will certainly also benefit from knowledge gained or best practises observed in other synthetic turf applications and which our members have achieved.”

Hockey, through the innovative leadership of the FIH, has over 40 years’ experience of playing on synthetic turf fields and now fully embraces this type of playing surface, using it for all high-level competitions. Looking to the future, the FIH is working with the synthetic turf industry to develop surfaces that perform as desired, but without the need to water them first.

Commenting on the FIH joining the ESTC, Jon Wyatt, FIH Sport and Development Director, says that playing on synthetic turf has made hockey the fast, exciting and technically skilful game that is now played by millions of people around the world. By joining the ESTC, the FIH will be able to strengthen its relationships with the companies producing the surfaces that hockey needs. It will also help to ensure that FIH is part of the debate as questions around sustainability, maximising opportunities and returns on investment and environmental considerations become ever more important.