Sustainable Manufacturing

How TigerTurf reduces its impact on the environment using recycled and recyclable products in its systems

TigerTurf Ecocept

TigerTurf Ecocept is a high-performance sports base layer made from 80-90% recycled plastic and rubber. This product is the result of years of research by TigerTurf and TenCate grass to find a solution to recycling end of life synthetic turf and other plastic waste. TigerTurf’s goal is to be a net neutral producer of plastic waste.

The plastic used can be of any type; it does not need to be a particular grade or of a particular composition.
The rubber used is from recycled tyres.
The synthetic turf, plastic waste and rubber tyres are re-processed into granules which are then mixed with a polyurethane binder and paved directly onto the sub-base much like an asphalt road.

TigerTurf’s Ecocept product can use the turf from three end of life hockey fields in one Ecocept base.
The high permeability of Ecocept enables harvesting rainwater for re-use such as irrigation

General Recycling

Recycled rubber granules, made from recycled truck and car tyres, are often used in the base of synthetic turf as infill and for rubber shock pads. These rubber granules are keeping
old tyres out of landfill
End of life disposal often sees old turf end up in landfill. We encourage our customers to try and re-sell, donate or recycle parts of the synthetic turf wherever possible, for example often community groups can utilise different aspects of an elite playing surface that is being replaced.

At the end of the day, recycling the turf into other products and uses is the best option and there is ongoing research into better ways in which synthetic turf can be removed, cleaned and re-used, or components of it recycled.

Synthetic turf has a lot of positive environmental credentials. It is often promoted as being a ‘green’ alternative to natural grass. The main ecological benefits of synthetic turf are:

Water Conservation

Artificial turf surfaces have a major advantage over natural grass for most sports. Irrigation is a key component in maintaining good quality natural grass, whereas, synthetic turf does not require irrigation in most situations.

Although there are some types of synthetic turf that do perform better when watered, this water usage is generally significantly less than that needed to irrigate and maintain natural grass. Research in the US has shown that each full-sized rectangular artificial turf field saves between 1.8 million to 3.7 million litres of water each year.

No mowing

Mowing grass uses fossil fuels and contribute carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The environmental impact of your lawn mower may seem minimal, but, according to the EPA, the gas emissions from a 3.5 horsepower gas-powered lawn mower releases the same amount of air polluting emissions in one hour as a new car driven 340 miles (550 km). Extrapolate that out to large areas of natural grass in parks, stadiums and schools, and the impacts soon become significant.

Eliminates the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers

We all know that the runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilisers is a source of water pollution. In fact, The EPA has identified runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilizers as the principal cause of water pollution. So, fertilisers can harm the earth more than help your lawn or football pitch. 1

Artificial turf eliminates the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Again, this may seem insignificant when used in your back yard or local sports field but it all adds to the big picture.

1 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-fertilizers-harm-earth/