Why “Eco-Friendly” Claims Fall Apart Under Client Scrutiny
Sustainability language in this industry is cheap to write and hard to verify, which means a sophisticated client, especially a municipal buyer, will often discount it by default. The way to make a sustainability claim actually land is to back it with a named certification or a third-party rating rather than an adjective. FieldTurf has both, and they’re worth using precisely.
ISO 14001: What FieldTurf’s Environmental Certification Actually Covers
FieldTurf’s Calhoun, Georgia manufacturing facility is ISO 14001-certified, an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. That certification verifies that the facility has documented processes for managing its environmental impact, resource use, and waste, not just a stated intention to be environmentally responsible. It sits alongside the facility’s ISO 9001 quality certification and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety certification, covering quality, environmental, and safety management as three distinct, independently audited systems.
Tarkett’s EcoVadis Platinum Rating: Third Consecutive Year, Top 1% Globally
At the parent company level, Tarkett earned a Platinum medal from EcoVadis for the third consecutive year in 2026, with a score of 88 out of 100. That places Tarkett in the top 1% of more than 150,000 companies assessed worldwide across 180 countries, and Tarkett remains the only multi-product company in the flooring and sports surfaces industry to hold a Platinum EcoVadis rating.
That’s a specific, externally verified rating from an independent assessment body, not a self-reported claim. It’s a strong data point for any bid where a commercial or municipal client is evaluating supplier sustainability credentials as part of the decision.
Sustain the Game: What FieldTurf’s Waste and Water Commitments Look Like Today
FieldTurf’s broader sustainability work includes reducing water use, mowing, fertilizer, and chemical treatments associated with natural grass alternatives, along with ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its own manufacturing and shipping operations, including evaluating ways to offset the carbon footprint associated with production and transport between its facilities.
Company Rating vs. Facility Certification: A Distinction Worth Getting Right
It’s worth keeping these two things separate in any client-facing material. The EcoVadis Platinum rating is a Tarkett Group-level assessment, covering the parent company’s overall sustainability practices. ISO 14001 is a facility-level certification specific to the Calhoun manufacturing plant. Neither is a certification of an individual product’s environmental performance. Conflating the two, or implying either one certifies a specific turf product as “green,” overstates what each credential actually verifies.
How to Use This in a Municipal or Commercial Bid Without Overstating It
The accurate, defensible version: this product comes from a manufacturer whose Calhoun facility is ISO 14001-certified for environmental management, and whose parent company holds a third-consecutive EcoVadis Platinum rating, ranking in the top 1% of over 150,000 companies assessed globally. That’s a specific, sourced claim a municipal buyer can verify, which is exactly the kind of sustainability language that holds up better than a generic “eco-friendly” label.
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