GT Products

LigaTurf Cross GTzero

The world's first 100 % CO2-Neutral produced Football turf

With LigaTurf Cross GTzero, Polytan is the only manufacturer to offer a certified CO2-neutral artificial turf. The CO2-neutral environmental footprint of the turf was officially certified by Fokus Zukunft GmbH & Co. KG, an industry-independent sustainability consultancy for medium-sized companies. Many factors were required for the product to be considered climate neutral, including production powered by green electricity and PE raw material obtained from sugarcane.

The raw material, sourced from our Brazilian partner Braskem, is also used in other Polytan products, including various hockey turfs and our latest LigaGrass Synergy GT and LigaTurf Cross GT football turfs. The product range incorporating I’m green™ polyethylene will be further expanded in the near future.

LigaTurf CrossGTzero, der erste klimaneutral produzierte Kunstrasen

Our claim

From the very beginning, it was important for Polytan to closely follow the plastic’s reusable material chain. Where is the sugarcane grown? Does it affect food production? Does production require increased use of other raw materials such as water? Only when we had fully satisfactory answers to all our questions did we decide to partner with Braskem.

the Facts

 1.   Sugarcane is cultivated in Brazil thousands of kilometres away from the ecologically important rainforests. Sugarcane cultivation currently requires just 1.2% of Brazil’s land, and of this only 0.02% is used by our partner Braskem.

2.   Sugarcane is more than just a foodstuff in Brazil. In addition to sugar production, it is also used to produce ethanol – a form of alcohol. On the one hand this ethanol is used in large quantities as petrol in Brazil, and on the other it is further processed into polyethylene. Another by-product of sugarcane pressing is bagasse, a pulpy residue used for CO2-neutral energy production in bio-power plants. A full 16% of Brazil’s energy needs are met in this way.

3.   The ash produced during the combustion process is used as fertiliser on the sugarcane fields. The sugarcane growing areas, which are located about 2,500 kilometres from the nearest rainforest, are so favourably situated climatically that artificial irrigation is almost unnecessary. Natural precipitation covers around 93% of the plants’ water needs.

4.   The process water used in production is treated and returned to the cycle, giving the product one of the most favourable water balances in the industry.

LigaTurf Cross GTzero Climate-neutral

CARBON FOOTPRINT: AN OVERVIEW

What impact does this have on the carbon footprint? ACV Brasil’s Life Cycle Assessment compared I’m greenTM polyethylene with conventional polyethylene from fossil sources and determined that for every tonne of I’m greenTM polyethylene produced, approximately 3.09 tonnes of CO2 equivalent is captured and stored. This corresponds to a reduction of over 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared to using polyethylene from fossil sources.

BENEFITS OF COMBINED FILAMENTS

LigaTurf Cross GTzero is part of the successful LigaTurf Cross product line, which revolutionised the football turf industry when it was launched in 2016. It is the first time a turf system has met both the needs of municipal and private investors as well as the requirements of players and other users. The combination of crimped LigaGrass Pro filaments with Polytan PreciTex technology and the smooth LigaTurf RS+ filament – considered the standard among football turf filaments – created a true bestseller in the Polytan portfolio. This did not go unnoticed by the competition, which led LigaTurf Cross to become the most copied turf variant after LigaTurf RS+. In addition to its natural grass-like appearance and perfect playing characteristics, the reasons for its success include simplified maintenance, the use of almost 50% less rubber granulate, and the improved retention of the infill granulate in the turf system. In the current discussion about the use of rubber granulate, clubs with a LigaTurf Cross turf are therefore well positioned.

Raw Material

For the LigaTurf Cross GTzero, Polytan uses the sustainable and bio-based I’m green™ PE material from our partner Braskem. This raw material has been used in the Poligras Tokyo GT turf since 2018 and has become very popular, especially abroad. The LigaTurf Cross GTzero consists of up to 70 percent bio-based I’m green™ polyethylene derived from sugar cane. This is certified by an independent laboratory for each turf system. This is the basis for its CO2 neutrality.

ENERGY MIX

CO2 energy management is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. Production was converted to green electricity in the summer of 2019. This is a measure that benefits all the products in our portfolio, including the LigaTurf Cross GTzero. Of course, this positive climate contribution will also be certified and verified.

COATING

The new PolyCoat polyurethane wear coat with Tuft-Guard adds another element to the positive energy balance of the LigaTurf Cross GTzero. With a lower wear coat weight, lower residual moisture and better heat absorption, the energy consumption in the coating system, the final step in the process to the finished football turf, also decreases.

But the LigaTurf Cross GTzero offers even more benefits. The new LigaTurf Cross GTzero system have a higher stitch density than their predecessors and offers even better coverage for protection against falls and tackles. Furthermore, the infill granules are better fixed in the turf, preventing the so-called splash effect. The benefit: less rubber granulate is needed and discharge is significantly reduced. Even for the natural infill granulates such as cork and sand, the additional number of fibres means better stabilisation of the materials.

ENERGY MIX

CO2 energy management is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. Production was converted to green electricity in the summer of 2019. This is a measure that benefits all the products in our portfolio, including the LigaTurf Cross GTzero. Of course, this positive climate contribution will also be certified and verified.

But the LigaTurf Cross GTzero offers even more benefits. The new LigaTurf Cross GTzero system have a higher stitch density than their predecessors and offers even better coverage for protection against falls and tackles. Furthermore, the infill granules are better fixed in the turf, preventing the so-called splash effect. The benefit: less rubber granulate is needed and discharge is significantly reduced. Even for the natural infill granulates such as cork and sand, the additional number of fibres means better stabilisation of the materials.

COATING

The new PolyCoat polyurethane wear coat with Tuft-Guard adds another element to the positive energy balance of the LigaTurf Cross GTzero. With a lower wear coat weight, lower residual moisture and better heat absorption, the energy consumption in the coating system, the final step in the process to the finished football turf, also decreases.

Polytan already has the ability to control and optimise all of these processes, so there is no compromise when it comes to the performance characteristics of the turf. As a pioneer in the field of bio-based raw materials and as a competent, experienced producer in PU chemistry, we have the necessary expertise to master this challenging combination of functional requirements and sustainability in production and raw materials.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

  • Green Technology Inside: Filaments from up to 70 % bio-based fibre raw material (PE)
  • Combination of smooth (fibre thickness of 360 μm) and textured (fibre thickness of 250 μm) turf filaments
  • Increased stitch density for less granulate usage and even better retention capacity
More Informationens »
Product booklet »

POLYTAN GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Polytan’s “Green Technology” marks out a new generation of highly developed products that combine cutting-edge technological expertise from the plastics industry with the functional and ecological benefits of renewable raw materials or alternative technologies that protect the climate. In this way, Polytan consistently meets its own development demands for products that combine climate protection and resource conservation with excellent functional features for sports.