Versalis, RadiciGroup and Safitex are collaborating to make synthetic grass for sports fields recyclable. Versalis supplies raw material (polyethylene), RadiciGroup makes fibres for sport applications, and Safitex is a manufacturer of synthetic grass turf. The project involves an all-Italian supply chain and is aimed at reinforcing the circularity.

The project was presented at Ecomondo. The project involves an all-Italian supply chain and is aimed at reinforcing the circularity of this application in order to reduce its end-of-life impact. Currently, synthetic grass turf is disposed of through landfill or incineration, which produces greenhouse gas emissions.

Thanks to the collaboration between these three Italian industrial leaders pursuing the path of “Made Green in Italy”, at the end of its life, synthetic grass turf can now be recycled like other plastics - it is collected, shredded and processed for other applications in the sports sector (shin guards, elbow pads and bibs) or for furnishings (vases, accessories and garden equipment).

In order to assess the project’s environmental performance, the three companies carried out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), each for its own product, quantifying the environmental impact with scientific data and calculation rules valid in all European countries in a reliable and transparent manner. The results of the studies carried out on the polymer (Versalis), fibres (Radigreen by RadiciGroup) and turf (EcoNext by Safitex) have been verified by an independent certification body (Certiquality), which issued each with a Product Environmental Footprint (*PEF) certificate, a method recognised Europe-wide that allows the environmental performance of products to be measured throughout their entire life cycle.

The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is a method based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), used to calculate the environmental performance of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. Information on the PEF is provided with the general aim of reducing the environmental impact of products and services, taking account of the activities of the supply chain (from the extraction of raw materials through to production, use and final management of waste). The product environmental footprint project was launched in order to develop a harmonised method for studying the environmental footprint that could incorporate a broader series of relevant environmental performance criteria based on the life cycle concept. This approach is vital in order to ensure effective management, due to the fact that certain significant environmental effects can occur “upstream” or “downstream” and so not be immediately evident.

Versalis (Eni) Versalis, the leading Italian chemicals company in terms of turnover and number of employees, is a European producer of chemical intermediates, plastic and rubber materials, and has also developed chemical platforms from renewable sources in recent years. The company markets its broader product portfolio (intermediates, polyethylenes, styrenes and elastomers) at the global level, leveraging proprietary technologies for licensing and business development activities and an extensive marketing network in Europe, Asia (China, India, South Korea, Singapore) and the United States (Houston). It is engaged in Africa (Congo, Ghana) in developing the new business line of oilfield chemicals for the Oil and Gas industry.

Radicigroup, with more than 3,000 employees, turnover of 1,147 million euros in 2017 and a network of production units and commercial branches located in Europe, North and South America and Asia, operates in three business areas: Speciality Chemicals, Performance Plastics and Synthetic Fibres and Nonwovens.

Safitex, founded in 1968 in the province of Bergamo, operates in the field of carded fibres of wool and mixed fabrics, dedicated to the production of covers and carpets. (SV)