Comprehensive life cycle assessment and environmental life cycle costing of artificial turf: A comparative analysis of different infill materials

Abstract

This study aims to assess the environmental and economic performance of artificial turf (AT) systems by focusing on the role of infill materials, maintenance practices, and end-of-life management under different conditions. While previous studies have analysed the life cycle of AT systems or compared them with natural turf, infill-related processes and operational variability are often simplified, leading to large uncertainties in reported impacts. Addressing this gap, the present study evaluates four AT infill scenarios, including cork with sand, coated sand assessed in two alternatives (LDPE and cellulose), virgin rubber with sand assessed in two alternatives (EPDM and TPE), and recycled tire rubber with sand, using a combined life cycle assessment (LCA) and full environmental life cycle costing (fe-LCC) framework. Using a standard FIFA-size football field as the functional unit, the results show that infill selection is the primary determinant of both environmental and cost performance. Global warming impacts range from 106 to 153 t CO₂-eq per field, with cellulose-coated sand, recycled tire rubber, and cork forming a lower-impact group, while virgin rubber systems perform worst due to fossil-intensive production and high replenishment requirements. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that cold-weather maintenance can increase impacts and costs by up to 80% for rubber-based infills, whereas coated sand systems remain largely unaffected.