Artificial surfaces: sustainability and the future

Plastics and rubber in sports pitches is essential, especially in the UK and on the parts of the continent where weather conditions are not always favourable. Helping matches to be played in various sports at both an amateur and professional level. 

According to a report in Politico, The European Union is keen on banning microplastics from being added to sports fields, cosmetics and cleaning products because of their perceived  negative environmental impact.

The report by Politico claims that according to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), 42,000 tons of microplastics added to products end up in the environment every year, with granules used in artificial turf making up 16,000 tons. Interestingly, research suggests that these microplastics can reduce impact injuries to athletes by creating a softer surface.

Politico found that reaction to the proposals of a ban on such microplastics has been somewhat negative, according to a letter shared with the publication “a full ban could have "significant negative unintended consequences." Many argue that a complete ban would be disproportionate and argue that alternatives such as cork and olive would be unsuitable for cooler climates.

However, there are steps being taken both at home and abroad to combat the environmental concerns that have lingered around artificial surfaces, this comes in the shape of recycling schemes and programmes. One example of this is the construction of an artificial turf recycling factory, in Essen, Germany. This facility developed by FormaTurf aims to provide fully traceable recycling of artificial surfaces and claims to do this by ‘by continuous QR code tracking.’ 

The FormaTurf site covers an area of 20,000 square meters and follows a patented manufacturing process for the creation of products, also known as "aptrusion". In terms of capacity, FormaTurf plans to process 200 large pitches per year.

In addition to this, according to the company ‘everything is offered’, provided and implemented on the order side from a single source, thus covering the entire value chain - from research, development and production to installation, maintenance and recycling by FormaTurf.