In collaboration with the city of Boroondara, SPORTENG has been awarded the Sports & Climate Change Award 2022 from the Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards organised by the National Sports Convention - for our work on recycled glass sand for natural turf sportsfields.
The National Sports & Physical Activity Convention held the Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards at the NSC Oration in Melbourne. The event "celebrated and applauded organisations and companies who shared some of their innovations in how to grow participation and be more sustainable."
Source: NSC 2022 Winners
The Sports & Climate Change Award 2022 rewards innovations that organisations have embraced that recognise the impact that sport can have on climate change on how they have focused on reducing their carbon footprint.
SPORTENG was competing with several other projects and won a first-place alongside Belgravia Health and Leisure Group and their Ascot Vale Leisure Centre's journey towards carbon neutral.
Our awarded submission was about our research on the use of recycled glass sand as a growing medium for natural turf Fields of Play, and how this could lead to a major step forward in promoting positive environmental impacts.
Indeed, the use of quarried virgin sand for the construction of natural turf Fields of Play is not sustainable long-term. We cannot continue to rely on quarried material when recycled alternative materials are available. The potential to use recycled glass sand in place of the virgin material will help to close the circular economy loop and remove the industry's reliance on virgin materials.