Sport Group achieve top Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Rating

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.

Welcoming the recognition, Sport Group Chief Executive, Frank Dittrich stated “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.

Sport Group Chief Operating Officer, Dr Klaus Hauschulte noted “it is important for us to measure our progress against our own goals, our competitors and other leading businesses.

“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 and sugarcane in fibers to achieve USDA certified products and systems with up to 88% bio-based content.

Stephen Niven, Chief Executive for Sport Group Asia Pacific, added “customers increasingly want sustainable products, but it can be hard to know what and who to trust.

“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.

Images: Poligras by Sport Group brand Polytan has been the official hockey surface for seven Olympic Games including Tokyo 2020. Credit: Sport Group/Getty Images.