At the request of the Dutch ministries of Health, Welfare & Sport and Infrastructure & Water Management CE Delft has analysed the sustainability challenges of artificial-grass sports fields. There are several issues at play, which are in some respects difficult to compare:
In interviews with representatives of the sector, suggestions for improvement on all these aspects were obtained. These were used to draw up a vision for more sustainable artificial-grass sports fields and recommendations on how sustainable procurement criteria and changes to the BOSA subsidy scheme can help move towards more sustainable artificial-grass sports fields in the Netherlands.
This report was used as the basis for the “Letter to Parliament on sustainable artificial-grass sports fields” of 25 January, 2021 (in Dutch) and sent to the Lower House as an attachment to that Letter.