And even if the data was correct, ETRA said, "it would make more sense to introduce mandatory risk-management measures to limit the dispersion (of infill materials) down to 50 kg or less."
The industry association added that an appropriate measure would have been to "verify the effectiveness of a ban" and then apply it to sports fields that do not comply.
"ETRA challenges the decision to ban polymeric infill material and asks for it to be withdrawn," concluded the ETRA, which also called for further economic support for tire recyclers amid rising energy costs.
In a position paper issued Sept. 1, the EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC) said the ban will be "a challenge to the majority of European markets" in which such infills are widely used.
The ban, added ESTC, ignores work "by many stakeholders, including international sports federations, to help develop the CEN Technical Report 175193 for infill control and mitigation."
The regulators, it also noted, have removed the option for derogation via risk management methods (RMMs) on the basis that this would not help meet its emission reduction goals.
"Independent research has shown the efficacy of RMMs, but the Commission appears to be concerned about the practicability and enforceability of such methods," ESTC stated.
While, the EC proposal will provide a six-year transition period before the new restriction becomes effective, ESTC believes that the period is shorter than the expected usable life of 10 years for current surfaces.
"Many existing fields may struggle to achieve their full-service life due to an inability to purchase the materials required for ongoing maintenance," said the council.
This, it added, could force communities, schools and sports clubs to either replace their surfaces prematurely or risk deteriorations in the quality and safety of their fields.
ESTC, therefore, called for the transition period to be extended to at least 10 years to enable those that have recently invested in new fields to obtain the full operational life they anticipated.
Over recent years, ETRA, ESTC and other industry bodies, such as the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) and the United Kingdom's Tyre Recovery Association have robustly defended synthetic turf products from a range of attacks, subsequently found to lack scientific basis.
The potential impact of the European Union ban on the recycling sector is underlined by ETRMA figures showing that some 527,000 metric tons of end-of-life tires—30 percent of market share—are processed to be used as infill materials in Europe.
With the introduction of a ban, this volume would need to be used in other applications or into energy recovery, which is in conflict with EU waste-management principles.
There are also wider concerns, particularly within the EU recycling sector, that a ban on the use of rubber infill would lead to a sharp rise in exports of scrap tires to developing countries.
