GEZOFLEX eco at Hamburg’s Inselpark Wilhelmsburg

Advert by Gezolan

A new multipurpose court in Hamburg’s ‘Inselpark Wilhelmsburg’ demonstrates the potential of a thoughtful material choice: By using GEZOLAN’s sustainable EPDM granules, GEZOFLEX eco, across 420 m², approximately 3.9 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided.

The Inselpark Wilhelmsburg is the centerpiece of one of Hamburg’s most ambitious urban development projects and, from an urban planning perspective, is far more than a traditional green space. The park, which spans approximately 100 hectares, emerged from the 2013 International Garden Show and today combines natural and recreational areas with a diverse range of sports, play, and fitness activities. As the green heart of Wilhelmsburg, it is part of a long-term urban development initiative that combines the quality of open spaces with urban use.

Inselpark Hamburg Gezolan

© Gezolan

Since September 2026, a new 420 m² multipurpose court (single layer, 20 mm) installed by PolyPlace GmbH has been integrated into this environment; with its soccer goals, basketball hoops, and brick-red ­surface, it resembles an ordinary small playing field. What makes it special, how­ever, is the material used: For the first time in Germany, GEZOLAN’s sustainable EPDM granules GEZOFLEX eco has been used for a small sports field.

Greater sustainability with the same performance

Gezolan

© Gezolan

GEZOFLEX eco was developed with the goal of ­combin­ing the proven properties of a high-quality EPDM ­granule with a significantly better sustainability profile.

The sustainability of GEZOFLEX eco is based on three key charac­teristics:

  1. GEZOFLEX eco consists of over 90% sustainable raw materials, the sustainability of which has been verified in various ways.
  2. Compared to conventional EPDM granules, GEZOFLEX eco  generates over 70% fewer CO₂ emissions.
  3. With a 34% share of bio-based raw materials, GEZOFLEX eco is the only EPDM granule certified as bio-based.
Gezolan

©Gezolan

Certified quality

The sustainability characteristics of GEZOFLEX eco are documented and verified through independent assessments and certifications, raw material declarations, and CO₂ footprint calculations. These include, among other things, certification of the bio-based content under the USDA BioPreferred® Program, as well as corresponding calculations of CO₂ reduction in accordance with the GHG Protocol and evidence of the sustain­able characteristics of the used raw materials.

Drop-in solution

GEZOFLEX eco is a 1:1 compatible alternative to conven­tional EPDM granules (drop-in solution). It looks like a standard EPDM rubber granule, feels exactly the same, and ­behaves identically during processing. It offers the same technical properties, UV resistance, and resilience as compar­able EPDM granules from GEZOLAN that are manufactured using conventional raw materials. 

Nearly four metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided on 420 m²

Gezolan

© Gezolan

A total of 5,700 kg of GEZOFLEX eco in the color 062eco Red was used for the multipurpose court at Inselpark. Compared to the standard GEZOFLEX variant, the use of GEZOFLEX eco in this project avoided approximately 3.9 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions based on indicative PCF values (cradle-to-gate). 

This corresponds to a 71.6% reduction in the Product Carbon Footprint.

Some examples for illustration

To illustrate, this reduction is roughly equivalent to the annual CO₂ emissions of about one average passenger car or a dis­tance of approximately 15,700 kilometers traveled by an aver­age passenger car. Alternatively, it roughly corresponds to the annual CO₂ sequestration of 170 to 200 mature Central European beech trees. These comparative figures are provided for illustrative purposes only and are based on general averages.

High impact of material choice

Gezolan

© Gezolan

As the binder, Stobielast® S 1100 from STOCKMEIER Urethanes GmbH & Co. KG was used. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the binder contains 30% renewable raw ma­terials, thereby helping to reduce dependence on conventional (crude oil-based) raw materials. Potential additional benefits regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are not taken into account in the calculation provided.

The key figures on the reduction of greenhouse gas emis­sions thus explicitly refer to a comparison of the Product Carbon Footprint of the GEZOFLEX granules used and not to the carbon footprint of the entire construction project. However, even in this comparatively compact project, they clearly demonstrate the impact that a conscious choice of materials can have.

Material selection as a lever for greater sustainability


For municipalities, planning firms, and operators of sports and leisure facilities in particular, the flagship project in Hamburg at Inselpark Wilhelmsburg provides a practical example of how more sustainable planning can be implemented in concrete terms. 

After all, it is not just large-scale sports facilities that offer potential for savings. Even compact activity areas can make a measurable contribution to greater sustainability through the targeted selection of materials used. Through this project, the participating companies GEZOLAN AG, PolyPlace GmbH, and STOCKMEIER Urethanes GmbH & Co. KG demonstrate how a more sustainability-focused choice of materials can be combined with proven functionality and familiar design options when planning modern sports and activity spaces.
 

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GEZOLAN AG

Dagmersellen , Switzerland
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