Sustainability is something that any responsible company cannot overlook these days. Floorball equipment manufacturer UNIHOC is now tapping into the area with its first ECO product.

One important aspect in considering the environment is the raw material. Bioplastic is a completely normal plastic, but the raw material is renewable and is manufactured using sugar cane rather than oil. The sugar cane comes from Brazil, and ethanol is extracted and processed to produce ethylene and subsequently polyethylene. The bioplastic used by UNIHOC is HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), which has exactly the same properties as regular plastic and is sorted at source and recycled in the same way as other plastic. The final product carries all the qualities that plastic that has been produced from traditional raw materials and can accordingly also be recycled as plastic waste.

– All manufacturing has an impact on the environment. Our ambition is to minimise this impact as far as possible at all stages. According to bioplastic manufacturers producing polyethylene from sugar cane ethanol captures (removes from the environment) 2.15 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of bioplastic produced. In the first stage we will introduce a drinking bottle and later this year also stick covers and match sets made of recycled material. Hopefully in the future we can extend the use of bioplastic in our products, says Johan Jihde, Brand Manager at UNIHOC.

– It is great to see that our sponsor is driving such a change in their production. It aligns well with the IFF values and the measures being planned on sustainability, Tero Kalsta, Sales Coordinator at the IFF concludes.

UNIHOC will also be engaged in the IFF driven “Stick with it!” recycling initiative that is planned to begin during autumn and culminate during the Men’s WFC 2020 in Helsinki. This initiative aims at recycling old floorball equipment: usable sticks will be used as material in the IFF Development programme and other material (broken balls/bottles/blades) will be directed to plastic recycling. Collection points will be set up at the venues and at floorball training facilities (in the Helsinki metropolitan area).

More information about UNIHOC products at www.unihoc.com!