PVC in sports
PVC is everywhere in sports
PVC has come to play an integral role in sports, as it allows for a combination of architectural freedom with environmental responsibility. PVC is strong, extremely durable, requires minimal maintenance, is fire resistant and most importantly, can be recycled multiple times without losing its key properties. It is also one of the most versatile materials available, meaning that in the sporting world it is used in stadiums and sport centers for everything from roofing, façade membranes, piping for freshwater and irrigation systems, to profiles, cables, flooring and seating. PVC is also extensively used in sport equipment and protective gear.
Stadium architecture
PVC enables stadium architects to combine combines environmental responsibility and architectural greatness. See for instance Allianz Riviera in Nice, France where vinyl is used for the tensile fabric covering the wood frame, and PVC profiles keep the many photovoltaic panels on the roof in place.Flooring
PVC, or vinyl, flooring is found in sport facilities all around the world. Vinyl flooring is durable and recyclable and brings together performance, comfort and security. Basketball, badminton and table tennis are just some of the countless sports that rely on vinyl flooring.Sports equipment
Balls, mattresses, yoga mats and shoes are just some of the sports equipment made of PVC.Vinyl and the greenest games in history
Where has PVC featured? The London 2012 Summer Olympics for example! The 2012 Olympics specified a number of strict sustainability requirements for PVC, including adherence to the ECVM charter, a preference for at least 30% recycled PVC content, and possibly a reuse or recycling scheme. The European PVC industry was able to meet these requirements, resulting in the use of PVC throughout the Olympic stadiums and venues: over 140,000 m2 of PVC tensile fabric was used, and PVC was also selected for seating, critical infrastructure eg. pipes and cables, and high-performance vinyl sports surfaces that the athletes competed on.
Designed for reuse
Where did PVC go after the 2012 Games? PVC was reused in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, in the 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup stadiums, and at a school in England, where children now tread the same flooring athletes did. Finally, non-reusable vinyl products were converted into gym mats for schools or recycled.