New ESG Rating Sport Group in top 6% globally

For the third time in a row, Sport Group received an excellent independent Morningstar Sustainalytics ESG Rating result for our sustainability strategy.

Sport Group’s score of 12.7 positions us in the top 6% of Sustainalytics’ globally rated companies and 3rd in our industry Building Products.

See the Sport Group ESG rating here.

“This rating is a result of our global team’s relentless efforts and highlights our ambition towards a more sustainable future – not only through the green technology within our products, but also within our company itself.”
~ Christoph von Nitzsch, ceo, Sport Group

These rankings demonstrate our commitment to the environment, equality and good governance and show that Sport Group has a low risk of experiencing material financial impact from ESG factors.

Christoph von Nitzsch, CEO, Sport Group said, ‘Our investment focus is on bio-based and renewable ingredients, carbon reduction, post-consumer raw materials, recycling and second life. It is very important, as the world’s largest business in our industry, that we show positive leadership on key issues. This strong ESG rating benefits our global customers, suppliers and stakeholders, and also players and fans.

‘I am very proud of our global team. This rating is a result of their relentless efforts and highlights our ambition towards a more sustainable future – not only through the green technology within our products, but also within our company itself.’

New products featuring Green Technology (GT) are the heart of this strong performance:

• ‘Poligras Paris GT Zero‘, developed for the Paris Olympics, is the world’s only carbon zero hockey turf.
• ‘LigaTurf Cross GT Zero’ is the world’s first carbon zero soccer turf.
• ‘LigaTurf Cross GTR’ soccer turf is made from 20% recycled plastics and 80% sugarcane.
• ‘Rekortan AS GT’ is a water-based spray coating for athletics tracks.
• Laykold tennis courts featuring recycled tennis balls were used at the 2023 Canadian Open.

FormaTurf, a major investment in turf recycling

Recycling old artificial turf pitches is one of the biggest challenges facing the sports surface industry, and in June 2023, following two years of construction, Sport Group opened FormaTurf, the first recycling plant dedicated to recycling artificial pitches in Germany.

‘The opening of FormaTurf was a highlight of the year,’ says Klaus Hauschulte, Sport Group COO. ‘FormaTurf recycles all the components of an artificial turf system. This gives recycled materials a second life, processing them into useful new plastic products and individual customer solutions for the construction of sports pitches, as well as a wide variety of applications in the landscaping, construction and industrial sectors.’

Company-wide Commitment

Sport Group is made up of over 30 companies across the globe, and for each company, sustainability is the primary focus, from development and the selection of our raw materials to production and finally the installation, care and recycling of the surface.

Sport Group and SYNLawn invests more in R&D than any other company in our industry. By working together and sharing knowledge, our R&D hubs in Europe, the USA and Australia are constantly increasing product durability and the use of recycled and reused raw materials.

Our continued strong independent ranking by Sustainalytics proves our commitment to sustainable practices and good business behaviour.