Artificial turf as a playing surface for sporting events has been around for many years ever since the idea came up to build huge indoor stadiums. With the grass dying in these stadiums an alternative had to be found and the answer was Astro Turf. From this beginning the growth of artificial grass has been steady, although not without some opposition and concerns from various quarters.
A few of the concerns voiced about artificial grass includes:
- The effects of artificial grass on the immediate environment.
- The health aspects of artificial grass, aimed more specifically at both the dangers of injury caused directly from the fact that play is on the artificial surface and also at the possibility of bacterial infection caused by dirt caught in the grass fibers.
- The temperature of the artificial grass surface.
- The impact of synthetic grass on the wider environment because of the lack of recyclability of the materials used to make it.
- The pollution caused by the manufacture of synthetic grass.
- The water usage necessary to manufacture the synthetic grass fibers.
All of these factors combine to make the artificial grass industry the focus of much close scrutiny. But it also serves to force the industry to continue to evolve technologically. This is so because the manufacturers all have to continually meet and quell the voiced concerns, finding solutions to the raised problems or else find that their products are no longer desired.
In a way, the loud opposition provided to the increasing amount of synthetic grass for sale has been a driving factor for the progress that has been made in the industry. The new generation of synthetic grasses has seen the introduction of a product that is safe, more similar to real grass than ever before and less impactful on the environment.
It is fair to say that the artificial grass industry has not yet reached the point where their product is going to be accepted as a replacement for natural grass, I don’t think that day will ever come. However, many of the concerns that were loudly voiced a decade ago have been dealt with.
