Sportinnovator: Greening the Sports

Sportinnovator

Sportinnovator is the Netherlands’ leading sports innovation network. We identify innovations in sport, trigger improvements, accelerate the innovation process and focus on scalability. Operating as a neutral party, Sportinnovator connects all those needed to deliver these innovations – the world of sport, knowledge institutions, the business community and the government. To this end, we use an innovation formula that emphasises win-win cooperation.

Innovation has the effect of motivating everyone in the Netherlands to engage in sporting activities and to take exercise, thus making the country as a whole more vital. It also boosts our athletes’ chances of winning elite sports medals. Through proven collaboration, Sportinnovator aims to maximise the impact of sports innovation, to help the Netherlands achieve international prominence.

Since 2015, Sportinnovator has assessed 820 innovative ideas, and has provided 160 promising initiatives with financial support and advice. Sportinnovator works closely with the National Sports Agreement to make sport as much fun as possible, and as accessible as possible, for everyone in the Netherlands, whatever their stage of life. Its innovation programme makes Sportinnovator the de facto Chief Technology Officer of this National Sports Agreement.

Sportinnovator is an initiative of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and is supported by ZonMw, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development. Hereby three briljant examples of sustainability in sports.

Hydraloop

Hydraloop empowers people and organizations to save water and energy with smart and affordable water recycling products without any loss of comfort of living. Decentralized water recycling is the most efficient and affordable way to use less water. And the easiest way to recycle water is to clean it right where you use it. The clean tech system collects, cleans and re-uses lightly contaminated water from showers, baths, handbasins and other appliances, like tumble dryers air conditioning units, heat pumps and washing machines. Hydraloop treated water is clean, clear, safe, and disinfected according to the highest standards. It can be re-used for toilet flushing, washing machines, garden irrigation and topping up swimming pools. Hydraloop, award winning and first of its kind, offers a variety of smart, innovative water recycling products for residences, commercial real estate, sport facilities, hotels, lodges and more. It’s users can reduce their carbon footprint and save up to 45% on water consumption and emissions. In 2021 Hydraloop Middle East has been established with its office in Sjarjah, UAE.

Recreational Systems International - Grass2Grass

RSI Grass2Grass is the final link in the RSI Circular Turf System, an artificial turf system that no longer requires extensive excavation works but still meets all performance criteria. RSI Grass2Grass is available for both sports applications as well as landscaping installations. Being a partner of the European Hockey Federation (EHF) that sees RSI innovations as an important enabler to advance the development of hockey in Europe, RSI decided to first develop a Grass2Grass hockey surface. The quality and performance criteria pursued by the Dutch hockey association (KNHB) are amongst the highest and most stringent in the world. The RSI Grass2Grass surface for hockey passed all pitch related tests. Based on the feedback received, RSI can safely say that an RSI Grass2Grass football surface also delivers a quality and performance that exceed those stipulated by the various international football governing bodies.

Grootgroener

In the Netherlands there are 6400 natural grass sports fields. In the past, each field was treated with about a few liters of pesticide per year. To give you an idea: the total pollution with pesticides on sports fields amounts 10 thousands of liters a year. Presticides sprayed on sports fields are polluting ground and surface water on and around sports complexes. In the Netherlands, Europe but also worldwide, the shortage of clean water is starting to become a really big problem.

Grootgroener is a frontrunner in the process of working towards chemical-free management. From 2017 Grootgroener is one of the keypartners in a pilot with local governments and sportclubs to limit the use of chemicals and maintain the quality of sports fields. This proces is called Integrated Pest Management.