Environmental protection is not only a challenge nowadays, but it is becoming a responsibility for each and every one of us. Human civilization’s negative impact on nature is becoming more and more substantial. This also includes plastic pollution, especially what is known as microplastics, which can be found almost everywhere in the environment. The EU Commission, supported by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), has long been preparing restrictions designed to significantly curb the intentional uses of microplastics in products placed on the EU/EEA market.
The EU’s plan has been under discussion for about three years and even though ECHA has already submitted its proposals to the EU Commission, a final decision has not yet been made. The process, however, has long since created facts on the ground in other areas. Until 2019, plastic granules were used as standard infill material in the construction of artificial turf (sports) pitches in Germany. As the EU initiative was feared to lead to a ban on the use of plastic granules in the near future, many municipalities have already discontinued public funding of newly built artificial turf pitches with infill granules. This is because a newly built pitch should have a service life of well over ten years before the surface is replaced, and a ban on granules in just a few years would cause problems. As a result, public funding of artificial turf pitches with infill granules has been discontinued in all German federal states since 2020, well ahead of a decision by the EU Commission. However, pitches using alternative materials as an infill or non-infill artificial turf pitches are still being publicly funded.
However, plastic granules on sports fields have also come under criticism for other reasons, namely because of their composition. SBR rubber granules, which are largely made from recycled old tyres, are often highly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are classified as highly harmful to health. From August 10, 2022, a new EU regulation will apply, stating that the content of all listed PAHs together must not exceed 20 mg/kg. A recent study by ECHA has also defined further hazardous substances in the granules, such as copper, lead, cadmium, cobalt, zinc, 4-tert-octylphenol, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and others. While all of these substances can be considered problematic, the question now arises as to how to deal with the study results. ECHA assumes that the problem would be solved automatically by banning the placing on the market of polymeric infill material for artificial turf. This measure is one of two proposals that ECHA has submitted to the Commission regarding the discussion on microplastics. The other proposal would involve the mandatory use of risk management measures to prevent the emission of granules from sports pitches with infill material, such as drainage filtration systems or quantitative restrictions.
Regardless of which of the two proposals the EU Commission adopts, operators of artificial turf sports pitches are facing high costs. In the case of the ban on placing polymeric infill material on the market, it is assumed that there will be a transition period of six years. This would not be enough to provide all existing pitches with alternative artificial turf until the next upcoming surface restoration. At the end of such a transition period in particular, many artificial turf pitches are in dire need of restoration in order not to jeopardize day-to-day operations. It is highly questionable whether this can be accomplished given the lack of time and staff resources. Moreover, all political decision-makers in the Commission should be aware of the fact that huge amounts of plastic waste will be generated by the restoration work and that many surfaces will be disposed of out of necessity, even though they could have been used for several more years. It may be questioned whether this is environmentally sound.
However, it has long since become apparent that even in these discussions, decisions are often influenced by ideology rather than practicality. With the structural change in the automotive industry planned by the EU, moving away from internal combustion engine vehicles to ultra-low emission vehicles, initial registration of internal combustion engine vehicles should no longer be possible at some point. Such a solution would also be more appropriate for artificial turf pitches. If corresponding regulations were to apply only to new installations or the replacement of old surfaces, this would in principle only mean an extension of the transition period, while it would not have too great an impact on the environment and the purses of sports field operators and, above all, it would not interfere with day-to-day operations.
Other measures under the European Green Deal will also have an impact on the construction and maintenance of artificial turf pitches. According to plans, plastics manufacturers are to dispose of plastic waste themselves in the future, recycle it and use a mandatory proportion of the recycled material for new products. This already applies to plastic packaging, but an extension to all plastic products seems feasible.
Many producers of artificial turf sports pitches are already responding to possible future EU requirements. Not least because it may be worthwhile to offer sustainable products in public tenders even today. Companies that manufacture plastic products with a high percentage of recycled content or provide other sustainable concepts may be given preference in public tenders. Many German municipalities already attach great importance to such criteria.
However, synthetic sports flooring is also the subject of general criticism in many places, the problem being the sealing of soil surface. This often leads to local overheating, especially in urban areas. As the global average temperature continues to rise in the wake of climate change, efforts are underway to prevent city centres from becoming hotter and hotter as well. Sealed soil surfaces are considered problematic in this context and, in the opinion of many local politicians, should be avoided to a greater extent in the future. However, it is not so easy to replace artificial turf sports pitches with natural turf pitches, especially not much-frequented and heavily used facilities in cities and municipalities. Therefore, we have to seek other solutions, such as leaving other surfaces around sports fields unsealed. For example, there are viable options for footpaths, car parks, and amenity areas. The industry, too, will certainly strive to alleviate the problem by developing new products and construction methods.
One thing is certain: the issue of environmental protection will have an even greater impact on sports field construction in the future. Awareness of this issue has grown considerably among operators, but also in the industry. Political guidelines are certainly useful in this context, but ultimately, one thing must be prevented at all costs: that the athletes are the ones to pay the price.
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