The European Union has taken a critical look at the rubber crumb used as infill on football pitches, as it contributes to the so-called microplastics problem. A new pitch has recently opened in Helsinki featuring artificial turf with a pine wood-based infill.
Helsinki football club HJK Helsinki has installed an artificial surface pitch with a new type of infill made from pine wood chips, just as the European Union is expected to begin focusing particularly critical attention on rubber materials. The pitch, which uses environmentally friendly infill material, was opened in August 2022 near Helsinki’s Central Park.
Before a daytime training session, athletes said they were satisfied with the new wood-based pitch. “...The new turf is soft and perhaps slightly more slippery, but it doesn't affect the game. We have no complaints,” say the footballers. Some of them argue that the new pitch is even better than traditional artificial surfaces.
“The pitch smells fresh. The black rubber crumbs we used to have got stuck in our football boots and other equipment. They ended up everywhere. It makes life easier not having to vacuum at home after training because of rubber crumbs. We think it’s very nice that people are developing these new ecological solutions,” the Finnish footballers explain.
Microplastics enter the environment
There are over 400 football pitches in Finland. The shiny green artificial turf is made from synthetic material that is more resistant to wear and weather than natural grass. To date, most pitches are filled with rubber crumbs derived from used car tyres. This same material is also widely used elsewhere in Europe. In Germany, for example, about half of the pitches under artificial turf also use rubber crumbs.
Football pitch in Helsinki – wood-based material surface
The pitch with the environmentally friendly infill material was opened in August 2022 in Helsinki next to the Central Park. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) began studying the health and environmental impact of rubber crumbs about five years ago. In fact, there was talk of possible carcinogenic effects, but no significant problems related to airborne particles in indoor football halls were identified.
According to the Finnish Environment Institute, rubber crumbs are carried away from the vicinity of pitches, for instance by maintenance equipment and players' kit. Some of it also ends up in rainwater drains and, naturally, outside the pitch area.
Rubber crumbs are a source of microplastics. It is estimated that in Germany, 11,000 tonnes of microplastics leak into the environment from sports pitches.
The wood-based pitch is the third of its kind in Helsinki. HJK stadium manager Antti-Jussi Väinölä (Antti-Jussi Väinölä) emphasises that it is still a pilot project. The club's administration is carefully taking note of what the players say about the new material.
“We pay close attention to feedback from children, young players and coaches. We are at the vanguard nationwide,” says Väinölä. No one has complained about the pine chip material that makes up the new surface. A goalkeeper tested the material by jumping, and they struggled to find the words to express how good it is.
As this pitch is located next to the city's Central Park, it was even more important to pay attention to the environment. HJK considered choosing more ecological artificial turf, and the options available included materials made from olive stones and cork.
“Ecology is an important value for us. Once the wood has served its purpose on the pitch, it can be recycled, and it is less damaging to nature than rubber materials,” said A.J. Väinölä.
High interest in the international market
Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure Paavo Arhinmäki (Paavo Arhinmäki) commented on HJK's new pitch on the social network Twitter, saying that ecological sports pitches are now being discussed everywhere in Europe. Rubber crumbs will “soon” no longer be used to make surfaces. “Therefore, whoever can develop an ecological, player-friendly and weather-resistant bio-based pitch will spark significant interest in the international market,” P. Arhinmäki wrote on Twitter.
The wood material used by HJK was imported by the Finnish company Lappset Oy. The company is known not only for manufacturing artificial turf but also for playground equipment made using pine wood.
Specifics of wood-based material for football pitches
Pasi Riikonen (Pasi Riikonen), Concept Manager at Lappset, says the company learned five years ago that the EU had begun to focus on the ecology of football pitches.
Lappset Oy began researching several more natural options and decided to partner with a US company, as they did not yet have the capacity to develop a long-term product. The wood material is made from Ponderosa pine grown in America, which is harder than Finnish pine.
“The production process involves 11 to 15 stages to obtain material suitable for playing fields. It must meet the standards of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and be durable. Among other things, the wood is processed in special vats and also heat-treated to obtain a specific shape. A special production line was developed for this purpose, so it is not an industrial by-product,” P. Riikonen explains.
A similar product from Nordic pine?
Regarding product development, P. Riikonen stresses that Lappset wants to provide a ten-year warranty, which means they do not want to enter the market with a product that has not been thoroughly tested. It may be possible to use pines grown in the north of Finland that have harder wood. “We want to use Finnish raw materials and manufacture products in Finland for the European market. However, for it to be viable, a sufficiently large volume is required,” says Pasi Riikonen.
It would be a great triumph for wood if this product were truly widely used on football pitches.
According to P. Riikonen, a wood-based pitch costs about a fifth more than one made from rubber crumbs.
The use of wood for sports pitch infill is not an innovation.
“Finns have long used sawdust for the base of running tracks,” notes Riikonen. Speaking about the benefits of wood-based football pitches, Riikonen mentions that using wood and other organic materials can also reduce children's allergies.