CASE STUDY
Life Cycle Scenario Tool for Turf Fields
A global manufacturer of turf fields wanted the ability to compare differences in the carbon footprint of their product based on the use of raw materials such as cork, rubber, olive core, and more.
The Client’s Challenge
The client faced the challenge of balancing the use of recycled and natural materials, with the supply of suitable natural materials falling short of demand. Additionally, each field's unique combination of materials complicates direct shipment calculations, necessitating a tool that provides real-time carbon offset results and flexible validation from CarbonFund.
OUR SOLUTION
JBE created an Excel-based tool that allows the client to estimate the cost of carbon offsets on a project-by-project basis. This tool enables multiple scenarios to be run simultaneously for easy comparison. The impacts are evaluated from cradle-to-use, with the functional unit being one artificial field, as installed at customer’s jobsite(s).
Primary data on artificial field compositions and inbound transportation of materials were collected, while emission factors were obtained from secondary data.
The tool features a simple user interface where users can input the different amounts of materials used and the distances traveled by each material.
A unique Excel feature allows users to run multiple cases at once and store the inputs and outputs for all cases in a consolidated table. Additionally, a separate tab can be used to build multiple cases at once. Using a macro, the workbook executes each specified case one at a time until all are completed.
EXAMPLE RESULTS
WHAT WE LEARNED
The infill has the highest carbon impact due to its greater weight compared to the turf.
Shock pads, while sometimes lightweight, can also approach the weight of infill in certain projects, highlighting the benefit of using recycled materials for these pads.
OUR IMPACT
As a result of this project, our client is able to offer customers a low-carbon or carbon-neutral turf solution with Carbonfree Product Certification.