Hockey is a progressive sport

A growing number of sports clubs, cities, communities and players are seeking environmentally friendly options for their sports spaces. This is not a trend but a mega transformation for the industry. Sport Group, as the world’s largest business dedicated to sport surfaces, and owner of Poligras is committed to leading with environmental innovation.

Green Technology is Sport Group’s platform to integrate and implement our future sustainability R&D, products, services, and IP.

Our Green Technology products combine advanced expertise from the plastics industry with the climate-protecting benefits of renewable raw materials, alternative technologies and recycling.

Paris – hockey’s first carbon zero hockey turf

Poligras Paris GT zero is the next advance in our breakthrough Green Technology (GT). It builds on the innovations from Tokyo. Following another 2 years of R&D we can produce an Olympic quality hockey turf made from 80% sugarcane.

Our Paris turf technology uses I’m Green™ polyethylene, a revolutionary bioplastic from Braskem. Plastics are typically made from fossil fuels, however I’m Green™ polyethylene is a plastic obtained from ethanol derived from sustainably farmed sugarcane.

• In the production of I’m Green™ polyethylene, the first two sugarcane pressings are used for sugar, the third pressing (not good enough for sugar production) is used as the raw material for bio-polyethylene production.

• To achieve CO2-neutral energy production, the bagasse, a byproduct of the sugar cane pressing, is used in the bio-power plant to generate energy and steam (heat).

• To further close the loop, the ashes produced during the incineration of the bagasse are used as organic fertiliser on the sugar cane fields.

Water is sprinkled on ‘water turfs’ to reduce the friction and therefore allow the ball to move fluidly and faster. Water also reduces the ball bounce, which makes stopping the ball easier and therefore the game safer, more dynamic and more fun.

However, water is a resource and a cost, so it is important to manage this responsibly.

By introducing texturized turf in 2014 we dramatically reduced the amount of water that was required, and our water reduction innovations have continued. The Tokyo turfs required 39% less water than the turfs at Rio 2016.

Polytan Paris GT zero continues this progress with the introduction of Turf Glide, a new and proprietary technology which reduces the surface friction, allowing the turf to meet the FIH Innovation standards for dry hockey.

Turf Glide not only means that when dry, the Paris turf plays better-than-sand, but also that less water is required to lubricate the turf for elite hockey. For hockey around the world this unique ‘play wet / play dry’ crossover performance delivers great flexibility and many benefits. A club can now choose a carbon zero turf that provides Olympic quality when wet and performs better than a current sand-dressed turf when dry. That’s the best of both worlds.

As the FIH transition elite-level hockey to dry surfaces, this as a very valuable feature of the Poligras Paris system.