ESTC met with ADEO Group to exchange views on sustainability, product transparency and the future of circular solutions for synthetic turf.
ADEO is one of Europe’s largest home-improvement retail groups and the parent company behind major DIY brands such as Leroy Merlin, Bricoman and Weldom. With hundreds of stores across Europe and beyond, they are a very influential player in the home and garden market. In recent years ADEO has placed a strong strategic focus on sustainability, aiming to offer more environmentally responsible products while also increasing transparency for consumers.
Product transparency and environmental scoring
One of the most interesting elements presented during the visit was ADEO’s approach to product transparency. Within several of their retail brands, products are evaluated through an environmental impact scoring system that allows consumers to see the sustainability profile of products at the moment of purchase.
Products receive a rating based on several life-cycle criteria such as raw materials, production, durability, health impacts and recyclability. The aim is to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions while encouraging suppliers to improve the environmental performance of their products.
During the discussion, ADEO also expressed interest in understanding how this type of scoring system could potentially be aligned with PEF. Such alignment could help ensure consistency between retail sustainability scoring systems and broader EU environmental measurement approaches.
Growing focus on circularity
Circularity was another important topic discussed during the meeting. ADEO explained that it is increasingly encouraging suppliers to design products that can be repaired, reused or recycled at the end of their life cycle. In this context, the company is exploring solutions for product categories that traditionally present recycling challenges.
Synthetic turf was mentioned as one of these categories. ADEO indicated that they are particularly interested in working with turf producers that can provide products designed with recyclability in mind. This includes aspects such as material composition, the possibility of mono-material systems and the reduction of components that complicate recycling.
At the same time, ADEO emphasised that product design alone is not sufficient. They also see a need for practical solutions to collect used turf and ensure that it can be effectively recycled. As a retailer selling significant volumes of landscaping and garden products, they are interested in identifying partners or solutions that could help organise take-back schemes or recycling channels.
Market context
Their increased attention to synthetic turf sustainability is linked to several broader developments in Europe.
The growing regulatory focus on plastics and microplastics, particularly in relation to polymer infill used in sports fields. While many landscaping products do not use infill, the sector as a whole is increasingly expected to demonstrate responsible material management and end-of-life solutions.
Retailers and consumers are placing more emphasis on environmental transparency. Products that can demonstrate lower environmental impacts, recycled content or recyclability are becoming more attractive in the market.
Circular economy policies across Europe are encouraging industries to move away from linear “produce–use–dispose” models toward systems where materials remain in use for longer and are recovered at the end of life. For the synthetic turf industry, this is leading to increased attention to eco-design, recyclability, recycled materials and collection systems.
Potential role for ESTC
The discussion highlighted several areas where ESTC could potentially contribute, eg to facilitate dialogue between manufacturers, retailers and recycling partners and to share knowledge on sustainability and circular solutions.
Areas where ESTC could support exchanges include:
- recyclability of synthetic turf systems,
- development of end-of-life collection and recycling solutions,
- environmental footprint measurement and alignment with PEF approaches,
- sharing best practices from across the industry.
Next steps
The visit represents a positive first step in establishing a dialogue between ADEO and the synthetic turf industry.
As a next step, ESTC would like to facilitate contact between ADEO and landscape turf producers within our membership. This would allow ADEO to explain more clearly what they expect from the market in terms of sustainability, recyclability and circular solutions, while producers can share current technological possibilities and challenges. Such an exchange could help the industry better understand market expectations and work towards solutions that respond to these needs. If these expectations are increasingly driven by retailers and consumers, this could also act as an important push for further innovation within the sector.
In addition, ADEO has been invited to present its sustainability approach and expectations at the ESTC Congress in 2027. This would provide members with an opportunity to hear directly from a major European DIY retailer about future market requirements and sustainability priorities.