For a few days, users of social networks on the Internet and some media outlets have been reproducing comments and articles about an alleged ban on artificial grass in sports facilities (fields, tracks) adopted by the European Union. Despite the misleading texts and headlines published (such as: “Europe dictates the end of artificial grass fields), the truth is that no European body has approved any regulations to date (or law, regulation, or anything similar). prohibiting artificial grass in sports facilities or in any other application.
The falsehood or mistake (it may be thought that it is only an error in interpretation) may have arisen from the publication, in this case completely real, of Regulation (EU) 2023/2055, of the Commission, of September 25, 2023 (published in the Official Journal of the European Union on September 27, 2023) on synthetic polymer microparticles.
Regulation 2023/2055 has become relatively famous for including the ban on the sale in the European Union of cosmetic products, glitter, detergents, toys and medicines that contain intentionally added microplastics that are released into the environment during use. The ban on glitter, specifically, has been the most striking and commented section of this regulation that modifies (for the better) a ban that has already existed since 2006.
Among many other possible sources of microplastic contamination, Regulation 2023/2055 refers to “granular filler” for use on sports surfaces, that is, small particles of plastic, synthetic rubber or similar, which are included or spread on some artificial grass surfaces in sports facilities to improve the conditions of resistance, friction and safety in the movements of athletes. Several of the reports prior to the approval of this regulation indicated that these specific “granular fill” products have been shown to contain or degrade into microplastics.
Despite recognizing the pollution derived from the use of these products and the existence of alternatives (sands or degradable polymers), the new regulation grants a period of eight years for the entry into force of the prohibition on the marketing of these synthetic granular fillers (the proposal initial period was six years).
That is, as of October 17, 2031, the marketing of granular filler with microparticles of synthetic polymers (plastics, synthetic rubber and similar) on sports surfaces (fields or tracks with artificial grass) will be prohibited. Keep in mind that, as of the indicated date, “marketing” will be prohibited, which does not mean that the use of stored products is prohibited, nor that the removal of granular fillers already spread on sports fields or fields with artificial grass.
Without taking into account the granular fill that generates microplastic contamination, is artificial grass a problem for the environment?
There are various studies on the environmental impact of this type of synthetic products in surface coating. In the case of artificial grass, one of the most recent and interesting scientific research has been led by experts from the Consolidated Research Group in Marine Geosciences of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Barcelona, ??with the participation of researchers from the University of Cádiz and the Andalusian Institute for Agricultural, Fishing, Food and Organic Production Research and Training.
The authors have characterized and quantified, for the first time, the presence of remains of artificial grass in samples collected in surface waters of the Catalan coast and the mouth of the Guadalquivir River. The results show significant quantities of plastic originating from artificial grass: they amount to 15% of the plastics more than 5 millimeters in length that float in the aquatic environment, according to the results of this study, published (October 1, 2023) in the journal Environmental Pollution.
“The plastic fibers we have found are mainly polyethylene and polypropylene, which coincide with current trends in global production of artificial grass and are normally found floating in the aquatic environment. We have found these fibers especially in areas near the coast of big cities, like Barcelona,” explains William P. de Haan, UB researcher and first author of the article.
According to experts, the research highlights that “artificial grass fibers are an important source of plastics in the aquatic environment and provides a detailed guide to identify them in future studies, with the aim of better understanding their distribution and the specific impacts that they may have on the environment”.
The researchers analyzed 217 water samples collected on the coast of Barcelona and 200 from the Guadalquivir River, and found artificial grass fibers in most of the samples collected at sea (62%) and in a significant proportion of those obtained in the river (37%). The concentrations found are, on average, 50 times higher on the sea surface than in river waters. Concentrations of more than 200,000 fibers per km² are reached on the sea surface and up to 20,000 fibers per day in river waters.
