You can tell a good playground by the sound of it. Kids running, climbing, calling out and having another go. What you can’t hear or see is what all that play sits on: the surface. That is where decisions are made that stay with a playground for years.
Space to discover
Play is how children make sense of the world. They test their balance, judge distances, take a tumble and get back up. The best playgrounds leave room for that: a grassy mound to roll down, a swing you want to push just a bit higher, school grounds where the whole class can play at once.
Anyone who designs, manages or builds a space like that chooses equipment, play zones and fall heights carefully. But the foundation of every playground sits under children’s feet.
What’s under the surface
Playground surfacing shapes how a play space feels underfoot, how rainwater drains away and how the area looks after years of heavy use. Beneath play equipment, together with the layer below it, it determines how a fall is absorbed.
That is why a good decision goes beyond colour and appearance. What is the surface made of? How is it constructed? And has that been independently tested? Any council or client is entitled to ask, and any supplier should be able to answer.
A lesson from Spain
In October 2026, rubber playground surfacing received widespread media coverage in Spain. Many reports referred to a 2023 study by the Spanish research institute IDAEA-CSIC, which analysed the composition of recycled tyre crumb and EPDM rubber (a synthetic rubber). The study examined which substances the material contains, not whether they are released or what that means for health. The point the researchers made themselves applies well beyond one material: anyone choosing a surface should be able to find out what it is made of.
How ONE-DNA™ approaches it
That is precisely where ONE-DNA™ starts. We design synthetic grass around a single question: how few materials does it need? The result is a clear, considered construction.
- Deliberately chosen materials. Every layer has a purpose, and we keep the number of material types as low as possible.
- No latex or PU coating. Our synthetic grass is made without a latex or polyurethane coating on the backing.
- Independently tested. Throughout product development, independent laboratories assess our materials, including migration of elements, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), substances of very high concern under the European chemicals regulation REACH, and leaching.
- Designed for recycling. A simple composition removes one of the main barriers to reuse. Whether material is actually recycled after use depends on local collection and processing.
What we test, we make available. That way a designer or buyer can judge for themselves what a result means and which product it relates to.
ONE-DNA™ Play 24: built for play
ONE-DNA™ Play 24 is our synthetic grass for playgrounds, school grounds and public play spaces. With a 24 mm pile height, it gives a play area a green, well-kept look and is suitable as the surface for professionally designed play environments.
Play 24 is made without a latex or PU coating and has been developed to form a complete play surface together with sand infill and a suitable shockpad.
From product to playground
A safe playground always comes down to the complete system. Under equipment with a fall height, the combination of synthetic grass, sand and shockpad absorbs the impact of a fall. In Australia, impact attenuating surfacing for playgrounds is assessed under AS 4422, alongside the AS 4685 playground equipment series, with results linked to the critical fall height. ONE-DNA™’s documented impact testing to date has been carried out to the European standard EN 1177, which tests the build-up as a whole. Talk to us about which results apply to your project. A level, free-draining base, skilled installation and regular maintenance and inspection complete the picture. That is why we work with professional partners who install the build-up as specified.
Free to play
The best playgrounds feel effortless to children. They run, climb, fall and get straight back up without thinking twice. For the professionals who make those spaces possible, that ease starts with a surface whose make-up and construction are known. That is what ONE-DNA™ is here to contribute.
Discover ONE-DNA™ for playgrounds, see ONE-DNA™ Play 24 or request product documentation for your project via For professionals.
What independent testing shows
In 2022, testing laboratory SGS assessed earlier constructions of our play turf: one made entirely of PE (polyethylene) and one with PE fibres on a PP (polypropylene) backing.
- Migration of 19 elements (EN 71-3, the European toy safety standard): all values below the detection limit.
- PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons): below 0.2 mg/kg.
- Substances of very high concern (SVHCs) on the European REACH Candidate List (as at 2022): none detected above 0.1%.
- Leaching of 19 metals and salts (NEN 7375, the Dutch leaching test, 64 days): only molybdenum and sulphate found, far below the limits.
These results relate to the constructions tested and are not a certification of the current Play 24. Reports: SGS A133330/R20220658, A135310/R20220679a and A136230/BU20221594a. Impact attenuation to EN 1177 is tested for each build-up; see the product page.
