Safe and sustainable fireproof artificial turf

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The properties of artificial turf are often confused with those of natural grass. However, there are differences, particularly in terms of fire behaviour. This can present risks, linked on the one hand to misuse and on the other hand to insufficient consideration of fireproofing issues in their design. In this context, the objective of the GRASS project is twofold: to raise public awareness of the difference in fire behaviour between natural and artificial turf and to improve the performance of artificial turf through the development of innovative, environmentally friendly and industrially applicable processes. The GRASS project, which has a lifetime of 4 years, is divided into 6 working modules (MT). MT1 is dedicated to project management; MT2 to communication and awareness-raising operations for different target audiences: the general public; public authorities in order to trigger the responsible purchasing reflex; control and safety authorities; and producers and installers. The objective of MT3 is to better understand the fire behaviour of artificial turf, and in particular the role of the different components on this behaviour, and to develop a small-scale test to predict the behaviour of new formulations. New solutions are being developed in MT4, using environmentally friendly flame retardants adapted to the different elements of the turf. Prototypes are developed in MT5 and are evaluated according to standardised tests. Finally, MT6 focuses on assessing the environmental performance of the solutions developed from a life cycle perspective.

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