Plastic ensures top performance and spectacle

The leather rolls across the wet pitch and becomes heavier and heavier. The cotton kit sticks to the body, the game slows down and the risk of injury increases. Rigid shin guards made of wood and metal provide little protection and restrict movement. The leather gloves are anything but grippy. After the game, the fabric net in the goal has to be removed and laid out to dry. It is similarly uncomfortable in the stands. Wet concrete steps and damp wooden benches are not conducive to sitting. After the game, the disposable paper cups pile up into mountains of rubbish.

Faster, safer and cleaner

What applies to football also applies to other sports. Without plastics, competition loses its dynamism and becomes more rustic and risky. Elastic, stable and lightweight plastics can be found in all modern sports equipment and venues. They make shoes, jerseys and trousers light, stretchy and breathable. Plastics make balls fly more beautifully, speed up the game and protect against falls and accidents. Cameras, microphones, video screens and transmission technology are used to record the sporting duel. TV, radio and streaming enable worldwide marketing.

In the stadium, plastics ensure comfort, safety and sustainability. Hard shell seats are hygienic, stable and weather-resistant - good against vandalism. This also pays off for sanitary facilities and cubicles. Plastic cups in the returnable deposit system reduce waste. Modern safety technology and airlock systems minimise the latent danger. Plastics also play a role in construction: without them, today's arenas would still be as rustic as the concrete bowls of yesteryear.

Sound, spectacle and fun

Concerts, festivals, Christmas markets and tent festivals have a lot in common with sporting events. They bring masses of people together in one place. To ensure that everyone can see and hear something, lighting and sound technology amplify the acoustic and visual experience. The spectacle is usually temporary and has to be set up and dismantled quickly and efficiently - including the sanitary facilities. Lightweight plastic crates and cases help with the logistics. At festivals, tents provide a roof over your head. During the event, unbreakable reusable plastic cups ensure safe enjoyment and less waste.

From Woodstock to Wacken to the Eurovision Song Contest: pop culture is unthinkable without plastics. They are used in instruments, amplifiers and cables as well as in mixing desks, stereo systems and boom boxes. Records are no longer made of shellac - to the benefit of the scale insects. Vinyl has even established itself as a name. CDs and streaming came later. They give us the pleasure of listening to jazz, pop, rock, classical, pop, hip-hop and more at home and on the go.

Circular economy is all the rage

Plastics have revolutionised our leisure habits. We experience this first-hand when jogging, exercising, swimming, playing music and listening to music. At the same time, their mass use is creating problems for the global resource balance. Shoes and balls, for example, are made from a variety of different materials - which makes recycling more difficult. Electronic waste mainly ends up in developing countries and pollutes the environment there. The potential is enormous, which is also due to the rare earths used. To date, however, only a fraction of the valuable materials are recycled.

The chances are better for polyester sportswear. In principle, it is easily recyclable if it is properly collected, sorted and recycled. The demand for sustainable products is increasing. Many manufacturers already offer functional clothing and accessories made from recycled materials. They are promoting collection initiatives and introducing the first take-back systems. They are experimenting with bio-based alternative materials for balls and shoes, including new types of plastics. Certified green venues, green events and green meetings underline the growing importance of sustainability.

Change of perspective: external expertise

Plastics are part of sport. They are found in clothing, equipment, many playing fields and characterise event technology all around. What makes them so successful?

As a veteran, I still know both sides. I made my first jumps with wooden slats, leather shoes, a jumper and a pointed cap. The 22-point glued skis disintegrated over time. Once they broke on the ski jump. Even worse was the 10-kilogram metal ski, which really scared me. With the success of the first plastic cross-country skis at the 1974 World Championships in Falun, Nordic skiing changed. They were lighter and didn't absorb moisture. We Austrians also set the tone for boots and suits because we were the first to use the then new material. Together with companies, we developed and tested new jump suits. As a result, our team was briefly unrivalled in the mid-1970s.

Talent and training are one thing. What role does the material play in top sporting performance and how much of it is made up of plastics?

In ski jumping, the introduction of plastics was as revolutionary as the V-style. With the rubberised suits, there was a similar gain in distance and Simon Ammann's special binding was also such an issue. The material has a big influence. Sometimes you even need artificial performance limits. This works much better with synthetic materials than with natural materials. Another example is tennis. It used to be played with wooden rackets and sheep gut strings. They were expensive and very sensitive to the weather. Lightweight plastic rackets have raised the standard. With them, the weight can be better distributed, which makes many effects possible. Nevertheless, playing with a classic wooden racket is a great feeling - and this also applies to other vintage sports equipment such as golf clubs or speared fishing rods made from bamboo.

Sport has an audience. Events mean lots of people in a small space. Plastics are omnipresent here too. How can they contribute to greater sustainability?

If reusable cups are used and not disposable products, that's great. Then there's safety. There used to be glasses. Accidents among the audience and staff were unavoidable. Lightweight plastics also have advantages when it comes to transport. This reduces the tonnes of material moved at each event. A shadow lies over all of this: What happens to the material afterwards, where does it end up and what is recyclable? I believe that manufacturers have a duty in this respect. They need to invest in technology and recycling, conduct research and implement better solutions.