- Start of Polytan’s “green” product campaign, which uses recycled material in artificial turfs for the first time
- Use of Infinergy® by BASF for sustainable, elastic outer flooring surfaces
- New running surface Rekortan GEL GT made from over 60% renewable raw materials
- FormaTurf recycling strategy will in future close the material life cycle
Burgheim, Germany, 26th October 2021 – Germany’s leading sports flooring manufacturer will once again be participating at FSB in Cologne – the largest trade fair for outdoor space, sports and exercise facilities worldwide. From 26th to 29th October, the company will present its innovations at its stand in Hall 10.1. This year, the topics of sustainability and recycling will be at the forefront. Polytan is breaking new ground and closing the material life cycle within the company.
Polytan is demonstrating the future of sports flooring with its numerous innovations. Whether it be artificial turf, running tracks or protection surfaces: every new surface is developed with sustainability in mind. The result: Polytan is starting a new green product campaign at FSB and consistently continuing on its chosen path. All products whose foundations are built of renewable raw materials can be recognised by the abbreviation GT (Green Technology) in their name. A new abbreviation in the Polytan product line is the R for recycling, which in future will be found on sports surfaces or elastic layers that contain a proportion of recycled material.
Renewable raw materials and recycled materials combined
Polytan’s newest development – the LigaTurf Cross GTR – is a brand-new generation of artificial turf surface. As the three letters at the end reveal, it is made from a combination of renewable and recycled raw materials. For this, Polytan relies on substances from post consumer recycling, or PCR for short. This combination of both types of raw material leads to a huge reduction in CO2 emissions. The LigaTurf Cross GTR is a filled football pitch system with textured and straight filaments.
The only artificial football pitch produced carbon-neutrally worldwide
Another particularly sustainable product, the LigaCross GT zero, has an even better CO2 footprint. It is the world’s first artificial turf for football and rugby and has been certified as CO2-neutral. It is produced in 100% carbon-neutral manner. A by-product of the sugar cane harvest forms the basis of the turf, which is transformed into plastic. The first pitches made of GT zero have already been installed.
The same raw materials as in the carbon neutral football pitches are used in the Poligras Platinum GT. Now, Polytan, manufacturer of the hockey pitches for every Olympic Games since 2000 with just one exception, is expanding its range in the form of a water-based turf with a closed multi-directional playing surface. Among other things, the playing surface is extremely resistant to abrasion and has reduced water consumption.
Wood granulate for artificial sports turf systems
Polytan is also exploring new avenues when it comes to infill. With BrockFILLTM, the company will in future offer a filling granulate, made of pine wood, that consists of 100 percent renewable raw materials and is therefore compostable. The biggest benefit compared to cork is its weight, which prevents the granulate from floating in the event of heavy rainfall. With its sport-specific physical properties, BrockFILLTM withstands comparison with all other natural infills.
“Green” synthetic sports surfaces
As well as pitches, Polytan is also starting a new artificial turf campaign for running tracks and fall protection surfaces. Sustainability also plays a huge role in the development of these products. The new running surface Rekortan GEL GT is made from over 60% renewable raw materials. It is a double-layered full PU system with
optimal athletic advantages. The surface is certified by World Athletics. Another convenient perk for the customer: the installation time is shortened by the structure of the surface.
Also new are the Rekortan AS GT and A2S GT. Here, for the first time, a waterbased PUR spray coating is used in combination with a GT binder, made with Covestro’s innovative cardyon® product, among others. As well as excellent physical athletic properties, there is also a visual component. The Rekortan AS GT offers high colour stability, even for sensitive colours, without the additional sealing that was previously necessary.
A new generation in the field of fall protection flooring is the PolyPlay FSI GT. The Infinergy® material, which has been developed by BASF, enables excellent fall protection features and low material usage.
Polytan is breaking new ground with the elastic base layer PolyBase GTR ET. Old elastic base layers are recycled on site. After being granulated, bagged in BigBags and processed, the material can be reused directly on site. Cardyon® is also used for the production of the binding agent used here. The German manufacturer Covestro has succeeded in capturing natural (airborne) CO2 during production. Cardyon® has a natural CO2 percentage of at least 14 percent.
Custom and digital solutions for sports flooring
Those who want to individualise their plastic flooring can use the floor patterns with the Stylemaker®. A wide range of predefined special themes and design options in 2D, 2.5D and 3D can be found in the online app https://polytan.stylemaker.app/. In addition, custom designs can be produced, making every synthetic floor a real eyecatcher.
Those who are interested in a smart running track or a smart artificial turf pitch can find more information about the professional performance diagnostic tool, Polytan SMART, at the Polytan trade fair stand. From now on, athletes can also use the SMART technology via the new DX5.0 sensor and the free SMART Run by Humotion app. In conjunction with the Polytan SMART timing gates in the sports facility, all parameters are recorded and shown in the app directly. Further information at: https://www.polytan.com/smart/
Intelligent recycling concept closes the material life cycle
An ever more important topic for the sports flooring industry is the recycling of old artificial turf. With the founding of FormaTurf GmbH through the Sport Group, Polytan is closing the gap in the material life cycle. From research and development, to production and maintenance, to expansion and recycling, the entire lifecycle is all under one roof. The special feature of FormaTurf recycling is that the old artificial turf is completely recycled. New products are created from the turf, the backing and the plastic infill, and the sand (which accounts for 70 percent of the weight of the artificial turf system) is washed and reused.
Sustainability is playing an ever more important role in the sports flooring industry. Every new product is developed with this in mind. At FSB, the company demonstrates with numerous innovations that it takes environmental protection seriously and makes an important contribution through “greener” products. The strategy is holistic: the reduction of CO2 during the production and use of the recycled and bio-based materials plays just as important a role as the sensible recycling of sports floors that have reached the end of their life cycle.
