The POWERgrass hybrid system aligns with the "Do No Significant Harm" (DNSH) principle for the environment, which is essential to qualify for PNRR funding. It provides an opportunity to create an innovative and effective field to meet all six objectives of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) because: a) it promotes ecological transition by spreading knowledge of eco-friendly sports field maintenance that can also be extended to the agricultural sector, b) it monitors growth conditions and remotely manages installed systems using digital technology, c) it strengthens the growth of SMEs that invest in innovation and training, d) it offers opportunities for international social cohesion by organizing tournaments with PRO teams, e) it has a positive impact on health and the environment and is resilient to climate change, and f) it promotes new skills that stimulate the critical, civic, and collaborative sense of young operators. The POWERgrass hybrid system, with constant but reduced maintenance, can last up to 30 years and is reusable at the end of its life cycle.
Rubber infills are microplastics
Undoubtedly, synthetic grass increases the number of playing hours and simplifies maintenance but, it produces a negative environmental impact, detrimental in the absence of maintenance controls, which is even difficult to verify without constant monitoring because as long as the grass is green everything seems fine. In addition, the waste management of synthetic fields at the end of their life cycle only fuels organized crime that profits during the disposal phase.
Meanwhile, the market is orienting towards more environmentally friendly synthetic grass systems because concerns about the environmental impact of microplastics have spurred extensive research that produced a report from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on how to reduce emissions in the environment. The report estimates that approximately 50,000 tonnes of microplastics are used annually in the EU/EEA, and about 42,000 tonnes are released into the environment (including emissions from the infill material used for artificial grass, which could reach 16,000 tonnes annually).
In January 2019, ECHA proposed a total ban on rubber infills in synthetic grass fields in the EU/EEA market to the European Commission to prevent or reduce their release into the environment. This solution is estimated to reduce emissions by at least 70% and prevent the release of 500,000 tonnes of microplastics in the 20 years following its introduction.
The REACH Regulation reform institutes a ban on the use of microplastics within 6 years of its entry into force. In parallel, governments offer non-repayable grants or green credits to those currently moving towards systems and business models following the principles of circular economy in a sustainable and effective way. It is necessary to outline an ecological footprint that considers the entire life cycle of the system through a holistic design that measures the impact at every stage: a) production and installation, b) usage and maintenance period, and c) the processes enacted regarding who, what, why, when, and where to dispose of residues. Maintenance-associated costs must also be developed and financed for each project because regular maintenance is known to reduce extraordinary maintenance. The consumption of natural resources, risks linked to extreme weather with a minimum 30-year climate change scenario, and disposal or recovery at the end of the life cycle must be considered with a strategic objective of generating employment in circular processes.
Hence, there is a need for a hybrid turf with a neutral or positive environmental impact that at the same time provides a resilient field and reduces maintenance, providing economic interest to investors. According to our studies, also confirmed by independent studies from Sport England, POWERgrass is an effective system capable of addressing these issues, offering high usability with reduced maintenance.
The hybrid grass system (natural and synthetic) POWERgrass is an effective alternative to entirely synthetic grass systems, combining play safety, high usability, and positive environmental impact, with reduced maintenance costs.
Dr. Niko Sarris
Annual solar radiation in kilo Langley
Despite the development in recent years of higher quality products, a synthetic grass field does not exceed 10 years of life, at best. Synthetic filaments exposed to the sun degrade beyond 50% in about 3.5-4.5 years, relating to reaching 650 kLy (kilo Langley) of solar radiation exposure.
At the same time, in the latest generation synthetic turf systems, organic infill is promoted to simulate natural ground and keep the surface cool, but water evaporation is still much higher than on natural grass. The low density of organic components makes them easily removable by wind and rainwater so annual infill material replenishment is necessary to maintain system performance characteristics and prolong its duration.
Disposing of the old synthetic system in an authorized landfill costs €0.45/kg because plastic is a special non-hazardous waste, and costs are expected to rise in the future due to decreasing landfills. Moreover, removal, separation of various plastic components, and transportation costs must be added, not to mention that landfill disposal of old fields is a serious and poorly managed issue as it often escapes controls.
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Grass sprouted 7 days after sowing
The sunlight (radiation) combined with intense use, especially on hottest days (above 30°C), are the main factors leading to synthetic fiber polymer degradation. Generally, harmful radiation is the UV component (290-300 nm). UV light absorption causes C-H and C-C bond breakages, radical formation leading to a decrease in polymer molecular weight, oxygen absorption, and new chemical group appearances (coloration, hydrophilia). In fluoropolymers, the C-F bond is more stable and does not break with UV light. Thus, the higher the polymer's fluorine content, the better its stability outdoors. However, in recent decades, health concerns over fluorochemicals have forced the industry to eliminate them from use. The EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) hefty fine to DuPont in 2005 is impressive.
The hybrid turf used in the POWERgrass system contains no fluorochemicals, also because they are protected by the natural grass and as long as it is constantly maintained, the synthetic fibers are not exposed to the sun, thus do not suffer from aging due to photo-oxidation from the sun's UV rays.
The natural turf accounts for 97% in POWERgrass, while the synthetic carpet is almost imperceptible to the athlete. Natural grass helps prevent soil erosion, lowers temperature, purifies the air from fine dust, filters rainwater, captures carbon dioxide CO2, and produces oxygen O2. By sequestering carbon in the ground, the system provides a significant positive environmental impact because lawns are known to sequester anywhere from 25.4 to 204.3 g C/m2/year (Zirkle et al., 2011); by optimizing the photosynthesis potential with teachings from regenerative agriculture, the POWERgrass sequesters more carbon in the ground. Our goal is that, within two years of installation, each field can benefit from its soil biology, and it is possible to reduce fertilizers.
The natural turf retains rainwater in the substrate thanks to roots and associated microorganisms, slowing runoff into the drainage system. Grass returns moisture to the air through leaf transpiration, fostering the natural water cycle. Nutrients are retained by vegetation and the rich bacterial flora associated with it, thanks also to foliar applications that are more effective and prevent runoff and groundwater pollution. When the plant substrate is saturated with rainwater, a part reaches drainage trenches and recharges aquifers with clean naturally filtered water. Only excess water enters microperforated pipes and drains into the sewage system, thus avoiding accumulation with wastewater and the risk of flooding.
The synthetic support prevents compaction of the subsoil, retains moisture, and favors gas exchange, essential for roots and microorganisms. For this reason, the synthetic support creates the ideal habitat for root development, offering protection from heat, cold, insects, and diseases. To maintain optimal growth conditions, POWERgrass requires mechanical raking and surface aeration with a spiked roller every 30 hours of use, and generally, two deep aerations to facilitate gas exchange in the warm/humid early summer and cold/humid late autumn periods. Associated with natural cork integrated into the upper substrate, the system remains soft for longer without frequent maintenance interventions.
The ZOEsand amendment provides a buffering effect, absorbing water entering the rhizosphere, preserving playing conditions even in rain; it absorbs excess nutrients and exchanges them with bacterial flora to transfer to plants when needed, promoting more regular growth. Careful irrigation water management allows saving the most precious resource and strengthening natural turf, which becomes more resistant to climate change.
Comparison synthetic and hybrid grass
Considering the total cost of depreciation and provision for extraordinary maintenance to periodically redo a playing field - every 10 years for synthetic (mandatory) and 20 years for hybrid (optional) - and the cost for routine maintenance, we have a very similar annual impact.
In POWERgrass, the routine maintenance needs to be constant but is reduced compared to natural field because no holes form, but is higher than a synthetic field because it requires fertilizers, seeds, paint for lines, and the purchase of more professional equipment. However, as an initial investment for purchasing equipment, which can be included in the investment plan, if the maintenance is regularly performed, it is possible to avoid extraordinary interventions for infill replenishment of a synthetic field or for sod replacement of a natural field.
A synthetic field depreciation plan lasts about 10 years in northern Italy and 8 years in the south while a well-conceived and maintained hybrid field offers the possibility of amortizing the investment over 20 years. In the case of long-term financing, even the remaining works (lighting, fencing, dressing rooms, stands) benefit from a longer amortization plan.
Natural grass facilitates hydraulic land management because it can absorb a high amount of water in the sandy substrate after heavy rainfalls and retain free water suspended among the substrate's mesopores, thanks to capillary forces until substrate complete saturation. Only when gravitational forces overcome capillary forces in the substrate does excess water transfer into draining layers, thus mitigating rainwater runoff speed towards drains. Installing large rainwater storage tanks is suggested; once filtered and purified by natural grass, the water can be reused for irrigation avoiding taking potable groundwater.
If we consider indirect savings on environmental impact and risks from weather then the POWERgrass hybrid system always wins because preserving health and preventing damage is the best insurance policy we can make.
For example, in a synthetic field, frequent brushing of rubber infill in a synthetic field is necessary to lift fibers and redistribute rubber granules but, it promotes the production of fine dust and microplastics. By investing in the hybrid field, our health also benefits because instead of brushing synthetic, natural grass is mowed releasing the pleasant fragrance of freshly cut grass.
The natural grass in the POWERgrass hybrid system prevents soil erosion risk due to sudden weather causing floods because its roots stabilize sandy infill along with the hybrid turf and subsoil. Conversely, when a synthetic field floods, damage can be significant as, depending on infill type, it may carry a good part with itself, the water flowing over the turf, and in some cases, even lift the turf bending it, making any repair complicated and costly.
POWERgrass maintenance is easy to perform and monitor because grass reacts immediately. This requires therefore seriousness in field management and maintenance and offers the possibility of providing a positive environmental certification throughout the management period. By taking on this commitment, the manager does not risk having to replace the field at the end of the management period, as many agreements require, and the municipality does not face managing an unusable field because the system does not require mandatory replacement. In fact, sowing and some fertilization is sufficient to regenerate the field and deliver it still usable and better than before.
2025 POWERgrass S.r.l.
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