Last Year's Balls, This Year's Courts.
Laykold's Recipe for Sustainability at the National Bank Open, Toronto.
The statistics are striking.
Each year approximately 325 million tennis balls worldwide, including 125 million in the U.S. alone, end up in landfill.
Due to frequent ball changes – up to every nine games per match - major tournaments can go through in excess of 70,000 balls per event.
With a slow rate of decomposition (400 years), this is an environmental challenge the sport must face and Laykold is sustaining a pioneering lead.
Keeping balls on the court (literally)
In 2015, Laykold created the first cushion court with a shock pad that uses recycled tennis balls in the mat. Each court keeps balls out of landfill and the recycled rubber is both 100% natural and has excellent shock-absorption properties. The 2021 Western and Southern Open was the first tournament in history to benefit from the sustainable court solution when balls collected from the 2020 edition of the Cincinnati tournament and the US Open were reused within its Grandstand court. The environmental advantage is now being passed onto the National Bank Open in Canada.
Sobeys Stadium sports new centre court made from old balls
This year, the centre court at Sobeys Stadium will have something a little extra in its base: a recipe for sustainability. In partnership with Tennis Canada and RecycledBalls, Laykold has repurposed 1400 balls collected from last year’s event and recycled them within the brand-new centre court surface at Sobeys Stadium ahead of this year’s National Bank Open in Toronto. The step marks an important one in the sustainability of the tournament and the game.
As Daniel Thorpe, facilities director, Sobeys Stadium explains;
“There is a fair bit of waste around old balls in tennis, so to find a way to put those balls to good use is exciting and drives the sustainability of the event.
Laykold helped us to reimagine our centre court this year using recycled balls from last year’s event in the resurfacer. Our approach also prioritized sustainability by scraping off old paint, avoiding unnecessary asphalt waste and heavy rebuild machinery, thereby saving costs, resources and improving our environmental performance.”
“The recycled content is what makes our base coat unique. As well as the recycled balls, Laykold uses plant-based materials in its court formulas and is the only US-based company to hold ISO 14001 environmental certification. ”
A new level of environmental performance
Laykold’s proven ability to provide surfaces that players can step onto with confidence, goes beyond playing performance, demonstrating levels of environmental performance unmatched in the industry, and aligning with the event’s own sustainability commitments and values.
Wesley Baum, the Technical and Field Support manager and chemist overseeing the rebuild of the Sobeys Stadium court explains;
“The recycled content is what makes our base coat unique. As well as the recycled balls, Laykold uses plant-based materials in its court formulas and is the only US-based company to hold ISO 14001 environmental certification.”
Long-life courts for less landfill
Laykold courts are powered by Advanced Polymer Technology (APT) which is ISO 9001 Quality Management certified, in addition to being the world’s only ISO 14001 environmental certified court manufacturer. With its integrated supply chain, APT is the market leader in warranties meaning that Laykold courts have a lifespan unmatched in the industry, with a knock-on benefit to the environment.
This year’s balls, next year’s courts
Laykold is the choice of 7 of the top hardcourt events in the US and Canada including the National Bank Open in Toronto. The recycled balls technology in play at this year’s event will extend beyond 2023, with balls being collected for next year’s courts. With its ISO certification and commitment to green innovation through pioneering initiatives like this, Laykold serves up a leading competitive and environmental advantage.