IMPRESSIONS from a Cross-section

Artificial grass is now widely used for sport, decorative and residential applications. Football, rugby, American football and field hockey are among the most popular sports where official competitive games are already played on synthetic turf pitches certified by their respective international federations. 

Next, we have the world of multi-purpose pitches (5/6/7-a-side football and tennis), a segment particularly interested in synthetic turf because it can be used more often, for longer hours and in any weather conditions. To these sport uses, we must add all those applications in the so-called landscaping sector, which includes urban landscaping (flower-beds, playgrounds, etc.), gardens, terraces and private balconies. The availability of colours other than the usual green allows architects and landscapers to free their creativity.

The exponential growth, particularly in sport applications, starting at the end of the 1990s, coincided with the advent of “third-generation” synthetic turf: the combined result of the technical development of the yarn, on the one hand, and the development of the overall synthetic turf structure, on the other. The concrete advantages vis-a-vis natural grass, which were immediately recognized by the market, were decreased maintenance and the possibility of playing on synthetic turf pitches 24 hours a day, at least potentially, even in areas where particularly hot or cold weather conditions made it very problematic to play on other kinds of surfaces. 

Today, we are witnessing a general slowdown in investments in sports facilities, especially in Europe. This is mainly due to the lack of funds available to public institutions and sports clubs that are responsible for financing the construction of sport pitches. In contrast, the landscaping sector, where the versatility of artificial grass for outdoor applications is very much appreciated, is experiencing strong growth. 

Today, Europe and North America are regions where artificial grass is a widespread and well-established product, and so the growth rates are more modest compared to past years. A different picture emerges for Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia, where market growth rates are clearly higher and the prospects for future development are very enticing. Growth in the latter areas is driven by upcoming world-class sports events (World Soccer Championships in Brazil in 2014, in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022), as well as by the need to compensate for climatic conditions not well suited to natural grass.