SYNTHETIC TURF
Sustainable pitches
With the English Football Association planning a
US$249m (£200m) investment in artificial 3G pitches
over the next decade, is there a comprehensive plan
to recycle old pitches when they are replaced? There
are calls for a coherent recycling plan, not just for the
FA’s plans, but for the recycling of synthetic pitches
across the world’s stadia.
According to a FIFA report published in 2017:
“It is clear from the research that recycling of artificial
soccer turf is not widespread. The majority of the
manufacturers interviewed for this study
claimed their products are ‘recyclable’,
but none are taking significant steps
to make sure this happens in
practice,” it claimed.
However, the levels of reuse
and recycling of artificial turf
are improving and a closed
recycling system is developing
to ensure waste products are
disposed of responsibly.
One initiative is from Danish
company, Re-Match, which
currently has the only artificial turf
recycling facility in Europe. The
company claims that its process saves 400
tones of CO2 equivalent emissions over
incinerating used pitches.
In an investigation by Dutch TV documentary
series, Zembla, it revealed a ‘turf mountain’ of
unrecycled artificial turf. Researchers found no longterm
plans to dispose of these materials or any plans
to mitigate the environmental impact these pitches can
have when they break down.
In its response to the Zembla report, Wiebe van
Terwisga, general manager at Re-Match said: “The fact
99% of the material that is put through our process is
fully recycled, provides an opportunity for both the turf
industry and its customers to rethink what to do with
worn-out turf.”
However, due to the number of different materials
used for artificial surfaces, recycling is not as
straightforward as typical plastics, which presents
challenges for the industry.
“Recycling is a hot topic within the industry right
now,” explains Eric O’Donnell, managing director at
Sports Labs, a UK-based sports surface development
and testing company. “The artificial turf sector has
difficulty with the process of recycling mainly due to
the complex nature of deconstructing an artificial turf
system which has plastic turf, rubber granules and sand
all mixed in together. Separating these components has
In 1969, Franklin
Field, once home to the
Philadelphia Eagles,
became the first National
Football League stadium
to use artificial turf
Poligras Tokyo GT is the first synthetic
hockey turf made from over 60%
regrowable raw materials
The Car Jeans stadium in the Hague,
Netherlands uses a synthetic turf surface
for its daily training sessions as well
as for its home games
50 www.stadia-magazine.com September 2019
/www.stadia-magazine.com