The demand for sustainable and recyclable artificial turf systems is increasing. Several solutions have already been developed to make artificial turf more sustainable, such as TenCate’s innovative woven turf. Until now, however, no efficient solution had been found for the sustainable installation of recyclable artificial turf. J&E Sports, the market leader in artificial turf construction, has now developed a sustainable sealing technique that enables such fields to be installed quickly, seamlessly and in an environmentally responsible manner—while ensuring that the entire field remains fully recyclable. The new method, Sealen by J&E Sports, was successfully introduced this week during the construction of the new artificial turf pitch for Heracles Almelo.
Previously, sustainable installation often involved stitching the rolls of artificial turf together. The drawback of this method is that it is time-consuming and extremely difficult to achieve a seamless result. In addition, the line markings could not be stitched and therefore still had to be glued. As a result, such a field could no longer be fully recycled at the end of its lifespan.
J&E Sports has long been searching for a solution in which both the tape and the adhesive carrier share the same material DNA as the artificial turf. This ensures that the entire system can be fully recycled once it reaches the end of its service life. Together with BIT and H.B. Fuller, this solution has been found in sealing the turf rolls using a special hotmelt. The new method, Sealen by J&E Sports, uses an extremely strong hotmelt that emits less heat to the surrounding materials, preventing the fibres and backing from melting or deforming. In addition, the adhesive speed can be adjusted steplessly and the adhesive thickness can be precisely controlled.
With this innovation, J&E Sports now offers a sustainable, cost-effective installation technique that can compete with the speed of traditional gluing while retaining the environmental benefits of stitching artificial turf together. Based on the positive experience gained during the installation of the new artificial turf field for Heracles Almelo, J&E Sports has already received enquiries from both domestic and international markets for the application of its new Sealen by J&E Sports method.