Burgheim, Germany: Sport Group, the world’s largest business dedicated to sport and recreation surfaces, has received an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Risk Rating Score of 11.2 from Sustainalytics and was assessed by the firm to be at low risk of experiencing material financial impacts from ESG factors.
Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings measure a company’s exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those risks. Sport Group’s rating places it number one in the Building Products category and 318 out of 15,082 companies rated by Sustainalytics worldwide.
Frank Dittrich, CEO, Sport Group said, “We are committed to transforming the business of sport and space and we understand that we play an important leadership role in the industry with regards to environment, equality and good governance.
“Therefore, of course, we are pleased to be rated in the top 3% of companies globally, but this is not just today’s tip-of-the-tongue topic, this is an issue that is deep in the heartbeat of tomorrow. Our ESG commitment is about the future, and this is a never-ending process.”
Sustainalytics, a Morningstar company and a leading global provider of ESG research, ratings and data, recently evaluated the activities of all Sport Group manufacturing and installation companies,
including AstroTurf, Polytan, Melos, SYNLawn and APT (Advanced Polymer Technologies) and examined the Group’s global product brands including LigaTurf, Rekortan, Poligras and Laykold.
Sport Group received low or negligible risk rating in all categories including Environmental and Sustainable Impact of Products and Services, Emissions, Effluents and Waste, Resource Use, Occupational Health & Safety and Corporate Governance. Together this constituted an overall rating of 11.2 Low.
Sustainalytics, is one of the most preeminent ratings agencies and rates companies in all sectors. Other companies rated by Sustainlytics include Apple Inc, Allianz SE, Hugo Boss AG, Microsoft Corp and PepsiCo Inc.
“It is important for us to measure our progress against our own goals, our competitors and other leading businesses”, said Dr. Klaus Hauschulte, COO, Sport Group. “We made this voluntary commitment because independent ratings keep us accountable and transparent, they are important for our customers, end users, staff, investors, and business partners.”
Sport Group’s flagship products include LigaTurf Cross GTR, made from green polyethylene and recycled raw materials, and Rekortan Gel tracks which are made from 88% renewable/recyclable content. While SYNLawn uses a combination of soy in the coating & sugarcane in fibers to achieve USDA certified products & systems with up to 88% bio-based content.
“Customers increasingly want sustainable products, but it can be hard to know what and who to trust”, said Heard Smith CEO, Region North America Sport Group. “Independent ratings help customers compare so they can make informed and confident decisions, also it matches the values of end users who are making sustainable choices in their lives every day.”
The Group’s investment focus is on bio-based and renewable ingredients, carbon reduction, post-consumer raw materials, recycling and second life.
About Sport Group
Sport Group sells and installs more synthetic turf sport fields, athletic tracks and courts globally than any other business. Sport Group consists of 20 companies including Polytan and AstroTurf who, for over 50 years, have been market leaders in the installation and construction of sports surfaces. Sport Group’s strategic and investment focus is on Green Technology and recycling. For more information, visit sportgroup-holding.com
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sports enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, highly innovative, multi-sport, and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams, and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at www.astroturf.com.
ABOUT SYNLawn
SYNLawn is the largest manufacturer and unrivaled innovator of artificial grass in North America. As part of the SportGroup Holding family of companies, SYNLawn, along with sister surfacing brands – Astroturf, Rekortan, APT and Laykold – delivers the best products available on the market. SYNLawn’s product offerings also include Calico Greens™, an upscale line of artificial wall displays. SYNLawn’s turnkey network of 100 distributors seamlessly combines environmental stewardship with industry-leading innovations. Manufactured in Dalton, GA, SYNLawn uses bio-based ingredients, such as soy and sugarcane, and consumer-conscious additives such as antimicrobials to meet customers’ wide range of needs. With more than 200,000 residential and commercial installations, the company is raising the bar for global synthetic turf standards and transforming the idea of grass. We have a proprietary system with a large percentage of renewable content. From rooftops to road medians and rocket-launch viewing sites, SYNLawn has installed over 82 million square feet of U.S. soy-backed grass across 200,000 installations in the United States and 19 other countries since 2008. For 2021, North America’s largest manufacturer of artificial grass is set to add more soy than ever to its products, which will increase its use of U.S. soy by 10%. For more information visit www.SYNLawn.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.