A sustainable breakthrough from your shed to the centre court
APT and Paintback sign world first recycled paint partnership.
MELBOURNE. In a global first for the sports surface industry, APT (Advanced Polymer Technology) has joined forces with Paintback to give unwanted domestic paint a powerful second life through their Australian-made Laykold® courts and the backing of all locally produced turf products.
From October 2025, every Australian-made Laykold court and APT turf system will include recycled paint supplied by Paintback, turning waste into world-class performance surfaces.
This exclusive partnership will increase the renewable and recycled content of APT Australian-made products to up to 83%, making them the greenest sport surfaces in the world and marking an important environmental advancement for the industry.
Diverting 240 tonnes of paint from landfill and waterways every year
For nearly a decade, Paintback has been helping Australians dispose of unwanted paint responsibly, preventing millions of litres from entering landfill and waterways. Since 2016, the not-for-profit has collected and treated more than 51 million kilograms of paint and packaging from 165+ collection points across the country.
The collaboration with APT marks the first time Paintback has been able to extend into the sport surface industry and will divert 240 tonnes of paint from Australian landfill and waterways annually.
Paintback CEO, John Ferraro said:
“We have an ambitious mission to divert 90% of Australia’s unused paint from landfill and waterways and the partnership with APT has opened up a whole new avenue to help us achieve this goal.
“Because Australia loves its sport and APT’s brands like Laykold do high profile events, the partnership is a very valuable way to raise the profile of our initiative. Like us, APT has a talented team of scientists and are already committed to green innovation. It was an ideal match.”
“Our customers are increasingly prioritising sustainable solutions that don’t sacrifice playing performance. Who would have thought that the answer could be found in the old paint pots at the back of Australian sheds?”
Setting the standard for athlete and environmental performance
Jim Tritt, Chief Technology Officer, Sport Group Asia Pacific said;
“As the biggest sport surface manufacturer for synthetic grass, courts and tracks in Australia, it is important for us to set the standard in athlete and environmental performance.
“We already use sugar cane technology in our synthetic grass. Our Laykold courts and Rekortan tracks are made using renewable and recycled content, and we use recycled rainwater from the factory roof. But we’re always looking for new opportunities in the green tech space. Paintback made perfect sense as our next environmental innovation.”
A sustainable solution underpinned by extensive R&D
The breakthrough is the result of over three years of research, development and joint testing between APT’s R&D scientists and Paintback’s technical team to ensure the recycled materials deliver the same trusted performance standards that define every APT surface.
Paintback R&D General Manager, Rachael Roberts said:
“Chemistry is at the heart of any good partnership but even more so here. We’ve worked tirelessly with APT’s R&D team to perfect the formula and can now deliver the quality and volume of recycled paint required to supply courts and turfs to clubs and communities across Australia.”
Paintback’s paint will be upcycled in the base layer of Laykold court systems and the backing of all APT turfs to deliver proven surfaces that perform just like the originals but are significantly better for the planet:
Laykold Courts x Paintback
Laykold® courts will include up to 22% recycled paint in the undercoats
This will preserve the vibrant colour and premium finish of the topcoats that Laykold is known for
Each court will save the equivalent of 124 x 1L paint cans from landfill
APT Turf Systems x Paintback
The backing of all APT turf systems will include 10% recycled paint
The proprietary hybrid emulsion backing will be greener in colour and environmental performance
Turfs have improved tuft bind compared to standard latex backed products
Each standard soccer field will divert over 1,000 x 1L paint cans
Meeting the growing demand for environmentally responsible surface solutions
The collaboration with Paintback builds on APT’s global sustainability leadership. Together with initiatives like Laykold’s partnership with RecycleBalls and the use of renewable and bio-based raw materials, this partnership gives our court and turf systems an unprecedented environmental edge.