The primary aim of this thesis is to highlight different future infill options for artificial turf and provide a basis for comparison between them. The purpose of this thesis is to provide the reader to get a perspective on best future options based on their purposes.

This thesis deals with the EU's microplastic restriction and its effects on artificial grass infill over the next eight years. SBR rubber has undoubtedly been the most popular infill option in artificial turf. The use of rubber will be banned by 2031, and the changes will affect more than 29,000 artificial artificial turfs across Europe, of which approximately 450 are in Finland. The costs of refurbishing artificial turf pitches to be microplastic-free are estimated to cost around 9.7 billion euros to various European football communities.

The aim of this thesis is to present ecologically sustainable infill alternatives for artificial turf in Finnish conditions in the case of football fields. This thesis compares different organic and environmentally friendly infill options in terms of durability, consumption and weather conditions. The life cycles of infill options were also analyzed.

This thesis takes into account the experiences of different user groups with new infill options. User experiences had been collected with the help of a questionnaire that had been sent through the Finnish Football Association to football clubs, players and background personnel. In addition, viewpoints had been obtained from the maintenance workers of the artificial turf, especially from the Helsinki city area. The survey provided important information concerning user experiences. With the help of the survey, it was concluded that the quality is still not completely optimal and still requires development work.

In this thesis, it was concluded that there are several options for organic and environmentally friendly infill and in the future, it would be important to find an alternative for artificial turf that is as close as possible to natural grass. The development work of various infills for the future is still ongoing and it is important to find a high-quality, healthy and at the same time environment-friendly solution for artificial grass users.