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In 2021, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is continuing undertaking efforts to ban crumb rubber – recycled rubber granulate from shredded end-of-life tires – from artificial turf and playgrounds. ECHA’s intent to restrict the use of crumb rubber started back in 2019 when the organization, allegedly, found a scientific evidence against the use of recycled tire rubber in synthetic turf. Despite ECHA’s assertions, there hasn’t been a single scientific proof of human health risks caused by crumb rubber in other studies and research carried out by numerous research institutions worldwide.

In August 2020, the Portuguese Technical Commission CT-181 “Produtos reciclados de pneus” (Recycled Products from Tires) sent its official response to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) with regard to ECHA’s proposed restrictions for the use of crumb rubber in synthetic turf sports fields. Earlier in 2019 and 2020, ECHA proposed an outright ban on crumb rubber use where the particle size was <5mm or a thread length was <15mm. This recommendation to the European Commission was to include a six-year adoption period from 2021.

The European Chemical Agency’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) is proposing an EU-wide ban on microplastics infill in sports and other play surfaces from 2028 due to ‘possible’ environmental releases. Since our tyres contain a mixture of natural rubber and synthetic polymers (TDRM), these are deemed to have been intentionally introduced into infill materials. The ECHA further claims that 16,000 tonnes of this material is ‘released’ into the environment annually and constitutes its justification for the proposed ban.

A company from Auckland, New Zealand, is giving new life to scrap tire rubber mixed with plastic waste, which would otherwise end up being stockpiled or landfilled. Using an up-to-date technology, the company is turning the materials into a base for sports fields. Ecocept reports that it produces synthetic turf underlayer pads from a mix of ground plastics and old car tires, replacing the traditional rock and rubber sports pads beneath synthetic turf.

Commercial applications of end-of-life tires (ELT) as crumb rubber infill in sports pitches are unlikely to see any changes after the scientific committees of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) granted their new approval, Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) said. According to the ECHA’s findings, infill material with levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) below 20 ppm pose no harm to athletes.

Ecopneus – the Italian end-of-life tire management authority – reports that the new Bicocca Stadium received a completely renovated sports center this summer, a century after it was opened. Bicocca’s sports field received an athletics track equipped with speed sensors, stands and changing rooms completely renovated and managed by CUS Milano. These are the redevelopment projects completed by the University as part of the project designed to promote university sport and the use of the facility by all residents. The plan also includes opening of a Center for Sports Medicine and a Center for Aggregation, Culture and Leisure.

Ecopneus – Italian end-of-life tire management authority – reports about opening the latest generation synthetic turf field with recycled rubber in Caserta. According to Ecopneus, the initiative became possible thanks to the "Protocol against the abandonment of discarded tires" in Italy.</p><p>The children and youngsters of the Vanvitelli district will be able to play and dream big, because in their neighborhood today two new football fields and five-a-side football pitches have been constructed.

A Turkish company Hatko reports about its innovative sound barriers made from recycled tire rubber that allow local communities in Turkey to reach a higher-quality living standards. Hatko’s sound barriers made from tire-derived crumb rubber decrease traffic noise, even at its maximum levels, in residential areas near highways with high vehicle traffic, or near intercity railways and tram routes, double roads, etc. This enables to increase the life quality of life for residents in the vicinity of such routes, providing calm and peaceful atmosphere for living.

A new US research on synthetic turf fields that contain tire-derived crumb rubber has found that the material posed no risk to human health. The investigation commenced in 2016 and was run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The two authoritative bodies worked in association with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).