RE-MATCH · Creating artificial turf yarns with new recycling technologies for circular economy

The market of artificial turf (AT) has been gradually increasing over the last years, with a production expected to reach 487,4ktons by 2021, with a similar trend for the amount of end-of-life turf being generated. Approx. 50 million m2 of sport turf weredisposed worldwide in 2017, and this is expected to increase by >70% in 2021. Nevertheless, there is still no sustainablesolution for the treatment and disposal of every AT component. with the combination of two technologies, Re-Match hasdeveloped an innovative process that fills this gap, by efficiently separating components and converting clean plastic fibresinto a resin usable for production of high-quality turf yarns. This game changing novelty enables the upcycle of all thecomponents, providing 100% circular life-cycle of ATs. It is a cradle-to-cradle solution that contributes to the emergence ofcircular economy models, that will decrease the environmental footprint and greatly reduce the waste being disposed.Re-Match forecasts to sell around 27,000 ton after five years of market introduction, reaching a revenue of more than €32M,in year 5, with a market share of approx. 25% in Europe. To make this a reality, Re-Match needs firstly to define andoptimize a pilot plant for resin production, and to overcome some barriers such as user acceptance. This can be achievedthrough large trial-fields demonstrations, for which Re-Match already established partnerships with very relevant players(football associations and municipalities) to succeed in the project implementation and exploit the opportunity of this groundbreakinginnovation.