Kicking off another exciting EURO2024 with the help of chlor-alkali chemistry

Today the UEFA European Championship in football kicks off in Germany with the help of chlor-alkali chemistry:

• Football boots can be made from many different materials, including nylon and polyurethane, which makes them light, hard-wearing and comfortable.
• Polyurethane is even found as a coating on various indoor courts to give the players a good grip and stop them from slipping, as well as in footballs!
• Football shirts, meanwhile, can be made of spandex or lycra made from caustic soda chemicals, with the printed lettering and numbers of the players and their team logos often made of #polyurethane and melted on to the shirt.
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is another important chlor-alkali chemical that is found in structural and design elements of many football stadiums, cables, flooring and seating as you can read here. The properties of PVC mean it can be easily recycled and reused at the next football games.

Discover some other sporting uses of chlor-alkali here and in this video.