Sekisui Alveo, European manufacturer of high-quality polyolefin foams, is known for innovation, also in terms of environmental performance. The latest development is the use of bio-circular base materials for making the company’s renowned Alveosport shock pad used in artificial turf systems and playground surfaces. With this new offering, Alveosport retains its proven technical performance and is now ISCC PLUS certified as well. This makes the new product an excellent way to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of athletic surfaces.

Alveosport is a physically crosslinked closed-cell polyolefin foam product designed especially for use as a resilient underlay in sports fields and playground systems. The material meets stringent quality standards including EN 15330-4 (2022), FIFA QUALITY, FIFA QUALITY PRO, FIH (hockey), IRB (rugby), and GAA (Gaelic soccer), and is thus suitable for the most demanding applications. Over the past ten years, the product has been installed in hundreds of sports fields around the world. Proven performance and durability have made Alveosport a well-known brand name – and Sekisui Alveo has just made Alveosport even better: ISCC PLUS certified Alveosport is made with mass balanced bio-circular resources which are waste and residues as a substitute for virgin fossil resources, a change that drastically reduces the carbon footprint of the material.

A step into a certified sustainable future
Professional associations like the ESTC (EMEA Synthetic Turf Council) and IAKS (International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities) advocate environmentally sustainable solutions – and Certified Alveosport fills the bill with the use of mass balanced bio-circular resources which are based on waste and residues.

ISCC PLUS certified Alveosport can significantly enhance the environmental profile of sports surfaces. Application Development Manager Sascha Paul at Sekisui Alveo calls the new product “a step into a certified sustainable future for sports fields.”

Performance remains unchanged – no re-certification required

ISCC PLUS certified Alveosport foam is identical to standard Alveosport foam in terms of performance and durability. The new foam meets all the same exacting quality and performance standards met by the original version. This is a big benefit, explains Rolf Krämer, sales manager at Sekisui Alveo: “With Alveosport made of ISCC PLUS certified raw materials, the well-known FIFA certified shock-pad performance does not change and the system does not require any re-certification.”

Bio-circular feedstock versus fossil resources

Standard foams typically use fossil-based raw materials. ISCC PLUS certified Alveosport foam is made using certified resin produced with feedstock based on the bio-circular mass balance approach as a substitute for these fossil resources. Bio-circular feedstocks are considered a waste / processing residue of biological origin that are re-used, thus significantly reducing the consumption of fossil resources. Such sustainable bio-circular feedstocks have a negative carbon footprint due to biogenic absorption during the growth phase of renewable feedstocks.

More detailed information on the Sekisui Alveo ISCC PLUS certified bio-circular mass balance approach system is available HERE.

An all-round winner

The environmental benefits of Alveosport are not limited to reduction of the carbon footprint. Alveosport is PAH free. Any leaching of substances into the environment is well below allowable limits. Artificial turf sport fields and playgrounds also have decisive advantages over natural grass surfaces. They require no watering, fertilizers, or herbicides.

Alveosport excels not only in terms of environmental performance but also in terms of technical performance, convenience, cost, and maintenance. The resilient material delivers excellent ball-bounce characteristics, and the cushioning effect reduces injuries of players using the surface for any type of sport. Artificial turf systems can be installed in any climate zone and used at any time. They allow intensive use and require comparatively little maintenance, which minimizes costs for the community or owner. Alveosport is delivered in large but easily manageable rolls, making for easy and efficient installation. With a service life of up to 25 years, the Alveosport shock-pad can typically be reused when the grass mat is replaced. For all these reasons, Alveosport has become a favourite among athletes, clubs, owners, and installation contractors.

Part of a broad commitment to sustainability

The ISCC PLUS certified version of Alveosport expands Sekisui Alveo’s line of ISCC PLUS certified products that began with Alveolit TA foams in 2020. It underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable material sourcing.

Sekisui Alveo considers its products throughout their entire lifecycle: from raw material sourcing to manufacturing and final application. The sustainability benefits realised in the initial stages of material sourcing and production are passed on to customers further down the supply chain. Additional benefits are realised in the application phase. Many of the company’s high-quality foams are used as sustainable, energy-saving solutions in a wide variety of applications due to their flexibility, softness, light weight, excellent insulating & damping qualities, and long-term performance. Typical application fields include not only sports facilities but also building construction, industrial, medical, and transportation.

How was the ISCC PLUS certification achieved?

The ISCC PLUS certification for the newly launched version of Alveosport was based on the mass balance approach, which has become widely adopted in the chemical industry. As a milestone on the journey towards a sustainable economy, this approach is designed to trace the flow of materials through a complex value chain. Since different types of feedstocks are typically blended in the manufacturing process, physical segregation of sustainable content is often practically and economically infeasible. The mass balance approach makes it possible to track the amount of sustainable content in the value chain and attribute it to products based on verifiable bookkeeping. For companies using the mass balance approach, ISCC PLUS certification verifies that the mass balance accounting follows predefined and transparent rules. Under ISCC requirements, mass balance calculations and product sustainability declarations are audited by an ISCC-recognised independent body.

 

Sekisui Alveo AG – Company profile

Sekisui Alveo AG, with head office in Adligenswil, Switzerland, develops and produces extruded and cross-linked polyolefin foams used in Adhesive Coating, Automotive, Construction including Artificial Turf, as well as Industrial and Consumer Goods. The solutions are developed in close cooperation with processing companies and manufacturers, and tested and approved in the company’s Application Service Laboratory.

Sekisui Alveo was established in 1971 and today employs 500 people. Beside the head office in Adligenswil (Switzerland) and the two production plants in Roermond (Netherlands) and Bad Sobernheim (Germany), the company has local offices throughout Europe. Sekisui Alveo is owned by Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd.