European Commission advances ban on rubber infill in synthetic pitches

Brussels – The European Commission’s REACH committee has voted in favour of a proposed restriction on ‘intentionally added microplastics’ to products, the EC announced 27 April.

Initiated by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in 2019, the proposal targets, among other materials, granular infill materials from end-of-life tires and other synthetic elastomers used in synthetic turf.

In a document published by the EC, the commission said it had assessed several restriction options offered by ECHA for granular infill for synthetic turf.

One of the options, it said, suggested a ban on the placing on the market with a transitional period of six years, without exemptions.

A second option was for a market ban within three years, though with possible exemptions through the use of specific risk-management measures.

Measures under option 2 would have to ensure that annual releases of synthetic polymer microparticles from a synthetic sports pitch did not exceed 7g/m2.

In its final decision, the comission advised that increasing the transitional period for the ban on placing on the market to eight years was “justified”.

This, said the EC, would ensure that more existing synthetic sports surfaces using the product could reach their natural end-of-life before replacement was required.

The option for derogation via risk-management methods was removed from the proposal as it was not seen as a “viable” way to meet emissions reduction goals.

The EC claimed a ban would prevent the release of 500,000 tonnes of microplastics into the environment, at a cost of €19 billion, over 20 years – though questions remain over the basis of such estimates.

The proposal remains subject to a three-month scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council before it can be adopted by the commission.