Former GBN-AGR Director Eric van Roekel has acquired a majority stake in the synthetic turf recycler through his investment company. The takeover should boost the company’s European aspirations.

Van Roekel was responsible for the establishment of GBN-AGR in 2017, but left the company at the end of 2023 to become Director of Van Werven Plastic Recycling. Here, he and the management team established the investment company RNW Capital to fund strategic takeovers.

Van Werven Plastic Recycling is active in several countries in Europe.

The international aspirations of GBN-AGR never really came to fruition. However, with van Roekel believing that the market for synthetic turf recycling has now matured, he believes the time has come to try doing so again. The number of end-of-life synthetic turf carpets to be recycled is only increasing in a growing number of countries. At the same time, those offering the service are under pressure.

“In the long term, we want to look for more synergy between AGR Recycling and Van Werven Plastic Recycling. The first step, however, is to fully shape the organisation following the takeover. After that, we will see how we are going to roll out our plans further,” van Roekel told Sportsfields.info.

Name change

RNW Capital has acquired all shares from GBN. The new company is now called Artificial Grass Recycling (AGR).

The market parties that were already shareholders in GBN-AGR remain partial owners of AGR. These are TenCate Grass Group, Greenfields, CSC Sport, the Sport & Leisure Group and Domo Sports Grass.