Tokyo 2020 Hockey Credit: Polytan/Getty images
Climate Positive Turf: ‘You Play. We Plant’ James Croll explores how a pioneering sports surface developed for the Tokyo Games, is not only a game changer in sustainable sports surfacing but is also supporting African communities with the creation of a forest in rural Kenya
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he Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020 was unusual for a number of reasons. Not just because it was the first crowd-free games as a result of the pandemic but also due to a number of ground-breaking targets the organising committee set which were subsequently achieved. Perhaps the most ambitious and impressive of these was the objective of being the world’s first carbon neutral games. This objective became a key factor in the preparations for the games, in particular the planning and preparations surrounding venues and surfaces. As a result, it became the main focus for Sport Group, the world’s largest business dedicated to sports surfaces, who have developed and installed the hockey pitches at ten Olympic Games, including Tokyo. Paul Kamphuis, General Manager of Polytan Asia Pacific and global head of hockey for Sport Group, explains “the objectives of the organising committee for the Tokyo Games fell very much in line with our current focus on Green Technology (GT) and the development of Climate Positive Turf. “Our vision for some time has been to develop a ‘totally green supply chain’ for sports surfaces that enables us to create climate-positive products for turf and athletic tracks.” This focus has seen Sport Group transform the sports surface sector with the acquisition and development of a comprehensive number of company brands including AstroTurf, Melos, Polytan and APT as well as world-leading product brands such as SynLawn (landscaping) Laykold (courts), LigaTurf (football turf), Poligras (hockey turf) and Rekortan (tracks). The Group’s reputation across all its brands has largely been built on its unique business model of covering the complete value chain, including R&D, chemicals, manufacturing, and installation. To help realise the organising committee’s vision for the 36 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 150
Tokyo Games, Sport Group spent two years developing Poligras® Tokyo GT®; the world’s first climate positive turf. Poligras® Tokyo GT® was proof that the field of play can have a positive impact, not just on the game, but also the planet. Sport Group Asia Pacific Chief Operating Officer, Jim Tritt advises “the transformation requires a material science driven by a technical process development along the whole value chain of turf production. “By creating the industry’s only fully integrated global supply chain we can deliver unmatched quality control looking at sustainability in all its dimensions, including its sport technical performance, long-term value for the customers, ecological footprint, and compliance. We also look for products with positive effects like reduction of fertilisers, pesticides, and water. We invest in the supply chain to create value for the customers and a sustainable future for sport.” Breakthroughs like Poligras® Tokyo GT® often require a wide range of internal and external experts and strong, committed partners. Internally Sport Group invested in their in-house knowledge, with research teams and resources from their global research and development network. Externally they conducted a worldwide search for responsible partners and suppliers. This resulted in a network of expert partners such as polymer and materials scientists, testing institutes and universities. But why hockey? Kamphuis advises that ultimately, there were three reasons, commenting “firstly, the hockey community has a long tradition with synthetic turf which means they are very conscious of sustainability and long-term value, and they are always seeking a better product.
