{"id":3507,"date":"2026-01-30T10:26:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T09:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/why-atarfil-refuses-to-race-to-the-bottom-gm13-is-not-our-benchmark\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T09:39:51","slug":"why-atarfil-refuses-to-race-to-the-bottom-gm13-is-not-our-benchmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/why-atarfil-refuses-to-race-to-the-bottom-gm13-is-not-our-benchmark\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Atarfil Refuses to Race to the Bottom: GM13 is Not Our Benchmark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Atarfil has long stood for technical integrity, durability, and fit-for-purpose design.<\/p>\n\n<p>So why don\u2019t we manufacture geomembranes simply to meet the GRI GM13 specification? Because we believe that spec compliance should be the starting point, not the finish line.<\/p>\n\n<p>GM13 Was Once a Benchmark. Now It\u2019s a Baseline \u2013 and an Easily Exploited One<\/p>\n\n<p>GRI GM13 was established to provide a baseline of quality in HDPE geomembranes. But the industry has evolved, and so have manufacturing techniques. Unfortunately, so have shortcuts.<\/p>\n\n<p>Manufacturers seeking to cut costs and inflate margins have learned to manipulate formulations and production methods to just barely comply with GM13. <\/p>\n\n<p>This includes using:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Round die extrusion instead of flat die (cheaper but less uniform)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minimal antioxidant packages focused only on passing HPOIT<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recycled or reprocessed polymers disguised within spec<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The result? Materials that technically pass GM13 tests but rapidly degrade in the field.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>What GM13 Doesn&#8217;t Tell You<\/strong><br\/><br\/>GM13 permits either Standard OIT or High-Pressure OIT testing. Nearly all manufacturers choose HPOIT because it primarily reflects HALS (Hindered Amine Light Stabilisers) \u2014 effective for UV protection but not for long-term thermal or chemical stability. Why? HALS are cheaper than the phosphites and phenols measured by Standard OIT.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>This is critical:<\/strong><br\/><br\/>OIT is the better predictor of long-term durability \u2013 including thermal ageing and chemical resistance.<br\/>Yet GM13 doesn\u2019t require both. And without dual testing or tighter antioxidant criteria, inferior formulations can slip through, leaving asset owners exposed to premature failure.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>There Are Many Ways to Meet GM13 \u2013 But Only a Few Ways to Achieve True Durability<\/strong><br\/>That\u2019s why Atarfil exceeds GM13 by default. Not because it\u2019s required, but because it\u2019s right.<\/p>\n\n<p>Our commitment includes:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AR and AC Grades:<\/strong> Chemically resistant options for alkaline and acid environments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EVO Line:<\/strong> Simultaneous OIT + HPOIT resistance, optimised for real-world ageing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Superior AO Packages:<\/strong> For long-term thermal and UV stability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flat Die Technology:<\/strong> Achieves superior thickness control and weldability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Conductive Layers:<\/strong> For post-installation integrity testing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Structured Texturing:<\/strong> Uniform asperities without compromising mechanicals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coloured Surface Layers:<\/strong> Reduces heat absorption, ideal for exposed conditions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>We don\u2019t believe in cutting corners. We believe in solving containment problems with products that work long after the datasheet has faded.<\/p>\n\n<p>A Word on Strain Hardening Modulus (GM42)<\/p>\n\n<p>Some point to GM42 as the new benchmark. While it\u2019s a step forward, it also has flaws:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SHM only correlates to SCR within a given resin system<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A single SHM threshold may result in products ranging from 500 to 5000 hours of SCR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>For now, GM13 methods remains the more reliable benchmark, but only if you demand more than the minimum.<\/p>\n\n<p>The Risk to Asset Owners<\/p>\n\n<p>Too many containment failures occur within 10\u201315 years \u2013 not because the spec was wrong, but because the lowest possible version of the spec was accepted. Some manufacturers even alter formulations only when warranties are issued.<br\/>That\u2019s a red flag.<\/p>\n\n<p>When you increase performance requirements beyond GM13, it becomes harder to comply and easier to spot who\u2019s really producing quality. Fewer shortcuts. Less variability. Real durability.<\/p>\n\n<p>Why Atarfil Won\u2019t Drop Standards<\/p>\n\n<p>We won\u2019t play the race-to-the-bottom game. We stand for:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Transparency<\/strong> over manipulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Durability<\/strong> over datasheet theatrics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Performance<\/strong> over profit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>GM13 is no longer enough. For Atarfil, it never was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Atarfil has long stood for technical integrity, durability, and fit-for-purpose design. So why don\u2019t we manufacture geomembranes simply to meet the GRI GM13 specification? &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Why Atarfil Refuses to Race to the Bottom: GM13 is Not Our Benchmark\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/why-atarfil-refuses-to-race-to-the-bottom-gm13-is-not-our-benchmark\/#more-3507\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Atarfil Refuses to Race to the Bottom: GM13 is Not Our Benchmark\">Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3508,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions\/3508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atarfil.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}