25. Jan 2019

Sustainable hockey turf at 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

Sustainable hockey turf at 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

In 2016, the International Hockey Federation announced that it had entered into a partnership with Polytan, a Sport Group company, to supply the pitches for the 2018 and 2022 hockey World Cups as well as the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.

mTokyo has set itself the goal of organizing the first-ever carbon-neutral Olympic Games in 2020 and will to that end make use of a host of innovative green technologies. Polytan, a leading supplier of world-class hockey fields and Global Partner of the FIH, will contribute with the development of Poligras Tokyo GT (Green Technology), a sustainable hockey turf of which 60% of the filaments are based on Braskem's renewable I'm green polyethylene technology. The use of bio-based polyethylene adds a sustainable dimension to the playing properties of Polytan’s tried-and-tested polyethylene monofilament fibres.

An elastic base layer ensures optimum absorption and is an important part of the entire hockey turf system. The Polytan PolyBase GT elastic layer, which has also been newly developed, gives the hockey turf an even better environmental footprint.

"FIH is delighted that this new turf technology will support Tokyo's carbon-neutral vision and make a positive contribution to the Games. FIH has a strategic priority to improve hockey's environmental footprint, which is why partnerships with progressive companies such as Polytan are crucial. We are pleased to note that the surface that will be used in Tokyo requires 2/3 less water than surfaces used at previous Olympic Games. FIH firmly believes that hockey can contribute to a more sustainable environment by making use of all the technological possibilities modern turf offers," said FIH CEO Thierry Weil.

"With the development of the Poligras Tokyo GT, we have succeeded not only in making a hockey pitch more sustainable but also in significantly improving its performance. Never before has a hockey turf been more environmentally friendly, never before has a turf allowed such a dynamic and precise hockey game. I am very proud of this," commented Polytan Director Product Management Friedemann Söll.

"We are so proud that Polytan and the FIH have chosen Braskem's I'm green polyethylene for the hockey fields for the games in Tokyo in 2020. Tokyo has set itself the goal of organizing the first carbon-neutral games, and we are happy that Braskem can make its contribution together with the FIH and Polytan," added Marco Jansen, Commercial Director, Renewable Chemicals Europe & North America at Braskem.

I'm green polyethylene is a plastic obtained from ethanol derived from sugar cane. It is a vegetable raw material that, during its growth, captures carbon dioxide from the environment. The reason Polytan chosen this raw material for its artificial turf production is because of the favourable carbon footprint of I'm green polyethylene compared to fossil polyethylene. Every kg of I'm green polyethylene used in Polytan's hockey fields for the games in Tokyo in 2020, saves almost 5 kg of CO2. All this is achieved without any compromise on the quality of the turf.

http://www.braskem.com

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