Safety has been an absolute priority of Royal Gras since starting the company in 2003. By safety we mean that it should be possible to use all the products without any risk at all of health problems.
That’s why, in 2004, we asked Dutch research institute TNO to test our artificial grass. TNO used the EN71-3 norm to do so. This European norm applies to toys and is one of the strictest norms in the safety area. The norm states that products may only be considered safe if there are zero PAHs or any other harmful substances released if the toys are played with or sucked on.
In 2004 it was shown that our products meet this strict EN71-3 norm. That has reinforced our decision to always feel completely comfortable marketing the Royal Grass® brand.
Safety discussion
Our products have never been examined as closely as now. In autumn 2016 Dutch scientists stated that playing sports on artificial grass pitches might be dangerous to health. The culprit was the rubber granulate made from recycled car tyres.
This rubber granulate, also known as infill, is strewn over the pitches for sporting reasons, for example to ensure that a ball behaves in the same way on artificial grass as on an ideal natural grass pitch. According to the scientists, however, this granulate often contains high concentrations of zinc, oil and toxic substances. Rubber granulate is never used as infill for Royal Grass products. Our products are filled in with sand only for stability.
Royal Grass retested
A good reason for us to retest our products. Although the discussion isn’t actually about artificial grass, but the rubber granulate being strewn over it, we still decided to have all our products retested. Because there is one thing that we need to be 100% convinced of, and that we can guarantee our customers that using our products is completely safe.
Conclusion?
Our products and the components we advice still meet the strict EN71-3 norm. This means that we can say with certainty that Royal Grass® artificial grass is just as safe as toys. We already knew that, but it is good to have had that reconfirmed.