Plastics in Sport – The Contribution of UK manufacturers
| Plastics underpinned the staging of the London Olympic Games in 2012 and and it is time to celebrate the role that UK manufacturers of plastics products played in the success of the event. The plastics products supplied, in particular those made from PVC had to meet challenging sustainability criteria. UK manufacturers derived invaluable experience through their involvement and are ready to use this in the service of any future sporting event, Olympic or otherwise. Plastics products were ubiquitous in the London Olympic Park, not just in the sports equipment and clothing but also in the infrastructure such as the stadia housing spectators, in the sanitation and in the catering arrangements. They also had a big role to play in the transportation and communications facilities. Contents 1 Sports Equipment 2 Infrastructure 3 Clothing and gear 4 Case Studies 4.1 Loughborough University - “Jabulani” football developed for an outstanding World Cup performance 4.2 Polypipe – Manufacturing Gold Standard Plastic Products 4.3 ZoteFoams - The lightest footwear for fast running 4.4 Polypipe – Manufacturing Gold Standard Plastic Products 4.5 Altro Flooring - Safe and sustainable Altro flooring for the Olympic 2012 Games 1 Sports Equipment
Plastics has enabled a progreesive lightweighting of sports equipment which has helped athletes to achieve improved performances.Examples include the transformation of early twentieth century tennis rackets from heavier wood to those now made from relatively lighter plastics composites.Likewise both the craft and oars used in rowing have progressed from wood to plastics composites.This facilitates the safe physical manoeuvrability of the equipment . Additionally the design freedom available with plastics has facilitated sleek designs, reducing for example wind resitance and excellent performances. Plastics are durable, re-usable and recyclable and constitute an essential component of any sustainability programme attached to a sporting event. PVC products have the backing of the Vinyl Plus initiative undertaken by Europe’s PVC manufacturers which has received the recognition of the European Commission and is a partner in the United Nations Environmental Programme.One of the key advantages of plastics is that they are materials of low conductivity and hence save energy. 3 Clothing and gear
Plastics products are widely used for sports clothing. Again they offer the advantages of durability and are difficult to tear. They are also waterproof and can be designed to minimise the wind resistance of an athlete’s body. They can also be easily coloured and decorated to ease recognition by spectators and sports officials.The impact resistance of plastics make them ideal materials for the manufacture of safety helmets . The football World Cup held in South Africa in 2010 featured a brand new and improved adidas ball developed by engineers and scientists at Loughborough University to give maximum performance. The construction of the ball comprises eight 3-D spherically moulded panels which are thermally bonded together. These panels are made of EVA and TPU which are moulded together to deliver a perfectly round shape. The unique “Grip’n’Groove” profile of the ball delivers a stable flight and a perfect grip in any weather conditions. The ball’s aero grooves round the entire surface have been added to the design and along with its improved texture for accurate grip make it the most stable and accurate adidas ball ever. “I am delighted that Loughborough University have again been asked by adidas to assist them in the development of such a high profile product. It reflects the high esteem that Sports Technology at Loughborough is held in and allows our research to have real impact on the South Africa World Cup”, said Dr Andy Harland, from Loughborough University’s Sports Technology Institute. The University’s test facilities allowed checking the product’s development in a wind tunnel, amongst many other tests, to confirm comparative results together with the adidas football laboratory. It has not been their first football development with Loughborough University, which had also helped develop the 2008 European Championship and 2006 World Cup balls.” 4.2 Polypipe – Manufacturing Gold Standard Plastic Products Polypipe, the UK’s largest plastic piping systems manufacturer, made a significant contribution to the construction of the London 2012 stadia and buildings, including the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome and Athletes Village. Working with the various stakeholders from an early stage, Polypipe supplied almost one million metres of plastic pipe and over two million fittings to the Olympic Park. Polypipe supplied a number of product systems for a variety of applications across the Olympic build, including six different systems for the Athletes Village alone. In particular, its renowned Terrain above ground soil and waste drainage systems were used by all of the major projects on the Park, and several innovative products were developed specifically for the project. One such innovation is Terrain Firetrap firesleeves, which achieved a never-seen-before 4-hour fire protection for above ground plastic drainage systems; developed to meet the demands of the Athletes Village. Adam Turk, Polypipe Terrain’s Commercial Director, said: “Polypipe is extremely proud of the role it has played in the delivery of London 2012 projects. The opening ceremony highlighted the UK’s fantastic manufacturing heritage to the world, and in turn the British construction industry showed its ability to deliver these landmark projects on time and within budget, while continuously pushing the boundaries in sustainable construction.” Polypipe’s contribution to London 2012 has previously been recognised by the ODA’s ‘Learning Legacy: Lessons Learned from the London 2012 Games Construction’ report, and as part of the Plastics for Gold Exhibition at the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP), which formed part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrating plastic’s contribution. Its products were recently displayed as part of the Building Centre’s ‘We Made 2012’ exhibition, which was designed to showcase the very best work from the companies that helped to create London 2012 stadia and infrastructure. 4.3 ZoteFoams - The lightest footwear for fast running When Nike and Pelé Sports faced the challenge of designing footwear, which is lighter than others available on the market, but also offering good temperature resistance, Zotefoams plc turned out to be the perfect answer for their needs. Zotefoams is a UK manufacturer and the world’s leading supplier of closed-cell cross-linked block foams for a variety of applications such as packaging, automotive, construction, medical and sports. Zotefoams developed a special foam for midsoles and insoles for trainers and football boots, called PebaxFoam®, which is five times lighter than EVA foam and provides a higher temperature resistancy. Such a specification enables athletes to run faster due to the better energy return offered by PebaxFoam®. Zotefoams’s products are used in many sport applications including protective pads, helmet liners, mats, swimming aids, back protectors, footwear. Their specialised properties and performance characteristics make foams the natural choice for many different uses. 4.4 Polypipe – Manufacturing Gold Standard Plastic Products Polypipe, the UK’s largest plastic piping systems manufacturer, made a significant contribution to the construction of the London 2012 stadia and buildings, including the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome and Athletes Village. Working with the various stakeholders from an early stage, Polypipe supplied almost one million metres of plastic pipe and over two million fittings to the Olympic Park. Polypipe supplied a number of product systems for a variety of applications across the Olympic build, including six different systems for the Athletes Village alone. In particular, its renowned Terrain above ground soil and waste drainage systems were used by all of the major projects on the Park, and several innovative products were developed specifically for the project. One such innovation is Terrain Firetrap fire sleeves, which achieved a never-seen-before 4-hour fire protection for above ground plastic drainage systems; developed to meet the demands of the Athletes Village. Adam Turk, Polypipe Terrain’s Commercial Director, said: “Polypipe is extremely proud of the role it has played in the delivery of London 2012 projects. The opening ceremony highlighted the UK’s fantastic manufacturing heritage to the world, and in turn the British construction industry showed its ability to deliver these landmark projects on time and within budget, while continuously pushing the boundaries in sustainable construction.” Polypipe’s contribution to London 2012 has previously been recognised by the ODA’s ‘Learning Legacy: Lessons Learned from the London 2012 Games Construction’ report, and as part of the Plastics for Gold Exhibition at the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP), which formed part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrating plastic’s contribution. Its products were recently displayed as part of the Building Centre’s ‘We Made 2012’ exhibition, which was designed to showcase the very best work from the companies that helped to create London 2012 stadia and infrastructure.  The Olympic Park Featured a Large Amount of Polypipe Products
4.5 Altro Flooring - Safe and sustainable Altro flooring for the Olympic 2012 Games A UK manufacturer Altro, was the only PVC manufacturer of safety flooring and hygienic wall cladding approved for use at the Games. Supplying over 50,000 square metres of flooring to 33 different London Olympic venues. The supplier had to prove to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) that their flooring complied with their Policy for the supply of PVC into the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Kevin Webb from Altro said: “The vision of the Olympic Development Authority (ODA) was to create the most sustainable Olympic Games in history, consequently, the criteria to become an approved supplier were extremely robust.” After four years of communication with the London Organizing Committee Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Altro was granted the lifetime opportunity to be part of the most sustainable games up to date, London 2012.  Water Polo Arena, with Altro Xpresslay, London 2012 Olympics A total of 15 different products were delivered to the venues meeting specific criteria, for example the temporary structures of the games were laid with Altro XpressLayTM which is the first ever adhesive-free safety flooring easy to remove and either re-use or recycle after the event. In the more heavy traffic locations such as McDonalds at the Olympic site, which was the largest restaurant of the chain ever constructed, a non-slip and hardwearing and even sound absorbent Altro Stronghold TM floor was offered. As Altro XpressLay is loose laid instead of bonded to the subfloor with an adhesive like a conventional safety flooring, it is also possible to re-use it in a different location and benefit different users. One of the recipients of some of the Altro XpressLay with such a prestigious history was St. John’s Primary School in Kent, UK. Sally Quirk, Head Teacher at St John’s Primary School said “The installation has changed the school beyond recognition and has given the pupils the opportunity to tread the same floor as the Olympians trod, which is so inspirational for them." |
