The EU knows that microplastic pollution from artificial turf is a problem – how will they respond?

In Europe it is estimated that a total of 51,616 artificial turf pitches exist with an installed area of 112 million square meters. The infill for these pitches usually includes rubber granulate made from used tyres. Rubber granules are microplastics, and have become a massive issue, as it can be almost impossible to avoid spreading and discharging the small rubber pieces directly into the surroundings when playing a game of football.

Each year more than 145,000 tonnes of microplastics are intentionally used in the EEA. Approximately one third of these intentionally added microplastics escape into the environment. The largest single source is the granular infill material used on artificial turf pitches, with an emission of up to 16,000 tonnes. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 176,000 tonnes of unintentionally formed microplastics are discharged every year into surface water in Europe.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has put forward a proposal to limit the use of intentionally added microplastics in products, such as artificial turf pitches, to avoid or reduce environmental pollution. The two options under scrutiny are to either (a) contain infill within the boundaries of a pitch, ensuring that annual release of microplastics remains below 7g per pitch/per year or to (b) completely ban the use of infill containing microplastics, over a transitional period of 6 years.

The lack of degradation and the potential for harmful effects or bioaccumulation of microplastics is the cause of ECHA’s concern, as microplastic particles can persist for many years and are virtually impossible to remove once released into the environment. At present the long term environmental effects are unknown. Recent studies, however, show that small particles from tyres inhibited the growth and caused adverse behavioural changes in organisms found in freshwater and coastal estuary ecosystems.

Synthetic infill typically consists of solid polymer, containing particles between 0.7 and 3 mm in size, this means that rubber granules used as infill for artificial turf pitches fall under ECHA’s definition of microplastics.

ECHA’s risk assessment committee supports ECHA’s proposal to implement a ban on the use of microplastics as infill and a transition period of six years. ECHA’s Committee on Socio-economic Analysis noted that the proposed ban would cost more than implementing various risk management measures to curb the spread of microplastics from artificial turf pitches, but that a ban would be more effective in preventing the long-term release of microplastics. In addition, ECHA estimates that the implementation of the proposed measures will result in a cumulative emission reduction of approximately 400,000 tonnes of microplastic over a 20-year period.

The proposal is still with the European Commission pending a decision by the EU Member States. A final decision is not expected before April 2022.

However, restrictions to limit the concentration of eight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs are known constituents of both extender oils and carbon black used in the manufacture of vehicle tyres) in granules or mulches used as infill material in synthetic turf pitches or in loose form for use in sports applications and on playgrounds were supported by EU Member States in December 2020 and adopted by the Commission in July 2021. It prohibits the placing on the market and use of granules and mulches as infill if they contain more than 20 mg/kg of the sum of the eight PAHs. The new rules apply in the EU/EEA from August 2022. It will make playing on artificial sports pitches and playgrounds safer and may help to ease social concerns. The restriction will not affect existing fields at once but will ensure that any infill material used for refilling the fields is below the new limit.

Regardless which outcome the European Commission decides upon, KIMO will continue to work together with our partners at Fidra on the Pitch IN project in order to cut microplastic pollution from artificial turf pitches. We will also be working together with the contracting parties of OSPAR on the second OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP-ML2). The  is the implementation plan for OSPAR’s North East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2021-2030. The RAP-ML2 text was signed off by OSPAR’s Intersessional Correspondence Group on Marine Litter (ICG-ML) in February 2022 and will be submitted for adoption to the OSPAR Commission in June 2022 . KIMO will be leading on the action to address the release of microplastics from artificial turf.