Executive Summary
The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — a voluntary, principles-based framework through which businesses commit to aligning their strategies and operations with universal responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. More than 13,500 companies from 160 countries participate.
Act Global is a certified participant in the UN Global Compact. This article explains what that means, what the 10 Principles require, and — more importantly — how Act Global’s existing work in athlete safety, environmental transparency, and community access directly expresses those commitments.
This is not a compliance story. It is a value story.
The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact
The framework is built on four foundational domains:
Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
Principle 2: Businesses should ensure they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labour
Principle 3: Uphold freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
Principle 4: Elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour.
Principle 5: Effective abolition of child labour.
Principle 6: Elimination of discrimination in employment.
Environment
Principle 7: Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
Principle 9: Encourage environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
What Joining the UN Global Compact Means in Practice
Participation in the UN Global Compact requires companies to submit an annual Communication on Progress (COP) — a public disclosure of actions taken to implement the Ten Principles and support broader UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is not a self-certification of perfection. It is a commitment to transparency, continuous improvement, and accountability to a global standard.
Act Global has been a participant in the UN Global Compact since its early years as a multinational organization, and this certification has been reaffirmed in the current period. Joining means standing alongside more than 13,500 companies globally that have committed to being part of the solution — not the problem — on issues that matter to the communities where Act Global builds and operates.
How Act Global’s Work Connects to Each Domain
Environment
Act Global’s environmental commitments are anchored in transparency and lifecycle science. Synthetic turf fields, when properly specified and maintained, save up to 2.7 million gallons of water per year compared to sand-based natural grass. They eliminate the need for mowing, fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides — reducing operational inputs and carbon footprint over a field’s lifecycle. Act Global publishes PFAS and heavy metals testing results for its systems precisely because environmental transparency is a core principle, not a marketing choice.
Community Impact (Human Rights / Social)
The UN Global Compact’s human rights principles connect directly to equitable access to sport and play. According to the NRPA (2026), 67% of parks and recreation programs cite lack of facilities as their top challenge in youth sports delivery. A single synthetic turf field can provide up to 1,600 playable hours per year — more than three times the 480 hours available from natural grass. For schools in rural or underserved communities, this is the difference between having a field and not having one. The STC Philanthropy Award (2018, 2020) recognizes Act Global’s work in this area — a concrete credential, not just a claim.
Labour and Governance
As a multinational organization operating in 90+ countries, Act Global upholds consistent labour standards and ethical governance across every jurisdiction where it operates. Participation in the UN Global Compact formalizes this commitment to a framework recognized by governments, investors, and institutional partners worldwide.
Why This Certification Matters — Beyond the Certificate
The UN Global Compact is not a trophy. It is an ongoing obligation — to measure, report, and improve. For Act Global, it connects a company that builds physical infrastructure for sport and community to the broader question of what kind of world that infrastructure should serve.
Synthetic turf fields enable more children to play, more communities to access sport year-round, and more schools to stretch limited budgets further. That is a human story before it is a business story. The UN Global Compact gives that story a universal framework — and a credible, globally recognized standard to hold Act Global accountable to it.
Act Global Perspective
We did not join the UN Global Compact to earn a logo. We joined because it articulates, in a framework the world recognizes, the responsibilities that Act Global believes every business operating at global scale should accept. Our fields are in 90+ countries. Our choices — about materials, testing, transparency, and community access — have real consequences for real people. The UN Global Compact is our commitment to making those choices honestly, consistently, and with accountability. That is what “Bringing Science to the Surface” means beyond the laboratory.
